I Got The Boy
by newyorkcitydreaming
Summary: Disclaimer: I own nothing. Captain Canary AU: From the first day of their freshman year they were as close as could be. From the first day of college everyone swore that they would get married...Problem is Leonard just got married and it wasn't Sara who walked down the aisle. How did they get here and Can they find their way back to each other?
1. Newspapers and Photo Albums

August 2016

"Did she see it?" Laurel Lance asked Felicity Smoak as she ran into the cafe owned by her sister and her best friend early Monday morning.

The blonde closed her eyes and screwed up her face, and Laurel knew at once she had spoken too soon. Sara Lance stood up from where she had been arranging cakes behind the glass display box and rolled her eyes at her sister. "I saw it," she commented while moving out from behind the counter and began setting up the cafe before the rush started through the doors. "I just don't know why you are all so worried about me. We knew he was getting married last Saturday. A picture in the paper didn't tell me something I didn't already know. So, sis, how about you order your coffee and head to work as usual. It's just another normal day in Star City."

As Sara moved into the kitchen, Laurel shared a concerned look with Felicity, who shook her head and shrugged. "She's been like this ever since I got here."

Laurel looked toward the kitchen and then back at Felicity with a worried look on her face. "There is no way she is okay with this," she said, pulling her hair out from under her purse straps and over her shoulder. "Keep in touch today, okay?"

Felicity handed Laurel her coffee and nodded. "You can count on it," she told her as she wiped down the counter, and she waved as Laurel headed out the door.

Sara had turned back to the front of the cafe in time to see the exchange between her sister and her best friend. She shook her head, looked down at the open paper on the table, and sighed. It wasn't like Leonard getting married didn't bother her. She wanted him to be happy. She just wished she was still the one who made him as happy as he looked in the photo in front of her.

The back door opened, and Sara smiled as she saw Oliver walk in. He made his way over to her and saw the paper, and he was about to open his mouth when Sara stopped him.

"Please don't ask me how I am."

Oliver wrapped an arm around her and nodded. "Okay, how about you tell me what cake you recommend today, then?" he asked, taking her advice

Sara smiled up at him. She could always count on Oliver to be exactly what she needed him to be. "You can go see your fiance about that," Sara told him as she moved to pull some pies out of the oven. Oliver nodded at her and headed toward the front of the cafe. "Oh, and tell her to put her ring back on. It's like Leonard getting married has turned everyone crazy. Like they think I can't deal with it," she called out as he left.

Oliver walked over to where Felicity was standing at the front window and leaned down to kiss her softly before she pulled away. "Do you see what I mean?" she whispered.

"She is a little un-Sara-like, but I think she is just coping the best she can," he replied ",but she did notice that you aren't wearing your ring, and she wants you to put it back on."

Felicity let out a huff and pouted. "I just didn't want our wedding to upset her."

"Sara is your maid of honor. What are you going to do, kick her out of the wedding because it might upset her?" Oliver questioned his fiance.

"No, of course not," Felicity responded, rolling her eyes. "I just figured this, with Leonard it's like official now and I mean we always figured they'd get back together and I truly think Sara believed that too but now it's all over, like officially over."

Oliver pulled Felicity into a hug. "Sara is strong, and whatever pain she is dealing with, she will get through it, but that means we have to act normal around her and not walk on eggshells."

Nodding, Felicity stepped back and removed the ring from the necklace where it had been hanging just out of sight. She slid it back onto her finger. She smiled at the ring, back in its rightful place, and then leaned up and kissed Oliver. "I love you, you know that?"

"I had a feeling," he replied with a smirk. "You can show me how much tonight."

"You guys are going to turn away customers with your PDA," Sara called out to them as she made her way from the kitchen to the counter with a fresh batch of cookies.

"Whatever," Felicity called back before kissing Oliver again. "Go to work and I'll kiss you later," she added with a wink before moving off to where Sara was.

As Oliver left, the first customers of the day came through the door, and the girls got to work.

Ten and a half hours later, Sara was dead on her feet as she waved goodbye to Felicity and locked up the cafe. It had felt like a longer day than it was, and maybe that was because she was more affected by the photo of Leonard in the paper than she had realised. She drove home, humming along to the radio, thankful that Monday was over and that Felicity had gone back to acting normal around her. The only thing worse than having the reminder that she and Leonard were over was having everyone treat her as if she were breakable.

Arriving home at her apartment, she poured herself a large glass of wine and pulled the paper out of her bag again, flipping the pages until she found the one she wanted. Leonard's face smiled up at her, and she couldn't help but smile herself. His smile was one of the things she loved most about him, because it wasn't often that you saw a real, true one on his face.

Moving through to the lounge, Sara placed her glass of wine on the coffee table and pulled out a photo album. Turning the pages was like watching a silent film. She could remember every photo, when it was taken, and the emotion she had felt in those moments. Her freshman year of high school had been exactly as she expected, except for meeting Leonard. That was something she couldn't have predicted, but it was definitely one part she wouldn't change.

 _Walking into Starling City high, Sara looked around for her best friend. She and Felicity had promised to meet up and walk to homeroom together, but her friend was nowhere to be seen. Turning around again, Sara bumped into someone, causing her books to fall out of her hands. "I'm so sorry," she apologised before bending down to pick up the items she dropped._

" _It's no problem," the guy said as he leaned down to help her. As she stood up, he handed her the last book and smiled at her. "I'm Leonard, Leonard Snart," he told her._

" _Sara Lance," she replied, introducing herself with a bright smile. "I was just looking for my friend. She hates being late, but unfortunately, she has a mother who likes to document everything, so no doubt she is stuck outside having her photo taken to commemorate the first day of freshmen year," she added with a laugh._

" _I'm glad I don't have a parent like that," Leonard responded. "I was just looking for Mrs. Peterson's homeroom class."_

" _Mrs. Peterson? That's my homeroom, too. If you want to wait for Felicity with me, we can go together," Sara said with a shrug._

 _By the time Felicity showed up, annoyed at her tardiness, Sara and Leonard had become fast friends, and the late arrival wondered if there was something more happening._

Leonard Snart was pulled out of his thoughts by his wife. "Are you listening to me?" he heard Melissa say, and he felt like a deer caught in the headlights. What had she said? Was it a question?

"Sorry, I was thinking about one of the projects at work," he lied. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you wanted to try one of those places we saw today for dinner?" she repeated.

"That sounds good," Leonard told her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Lovely. Well, I'm going to shower. Why don't you call the office about that project or it will bother you all night and then we won't have any fun," Melissa offered before taking off into the bathroom.

Leonard sighed. He had no idea where that memory had come from. He was on his honeymoon for crying out loud! He looked at his phone and then looked back at the book he was reading. His brain couldn't seem to focus on the words, though, so he placed it down on the table next to him and stared out at the ocean. It was Melissa's idea to honeymoon on an island, and because Leonard loved her, he had agreed, but as his mind drifted back to the first time he met Sara, he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had they remained together.

Even the happiest of people have "what if" moments, he thought. They must. Leonard thought about his life, and he was happy. He liked his job, he had a beautiful wife, and he had great friends. Just because he'd thought about Sara didn't mean he wanted to change things. His phone rang and he glanced over at it, shaking his head as he reached for it.

"Oliver," he answered, "I'm two my honeymoon. What is it you need?"

"I was going to leave you a message. You didn't have to answer if you were busy," Oliver threw back down the line.

"Melissa is in the shower, so it's fine. What's going on in Star City?" Leonard asked.

"I'll be quick. It's mostly life as usual here, but Felicity added another bridesmaid to the wedding party, so I was hoping you would be one of my groomsmen," Oliver admitted.

"Oh, I see how it is, last minute addition," Leonard joked, "but of course I'll do it, except, are you sure you want your groomsman looking better than you?"

"Not going to happen," Oliver fired back. "I'll let you go, but when you get back let's grab, a beer next time I'm in Central City."

"Sounds good," Leonard replied. "And thanks man, I look forward to seeing you and Felicity finally tie the knot."

Leonard hung up and shook his head. He and Oliver had been friends for almost as long as he and Sara had. They didn't see each other as much as they used to since Leonard's move to Central City. His life had changed so much since he'd met Melissa, and while he loved her, he also missed his friends. They tended to mostly spend time with her friends and family, and that came from how connected her father was. Leonard's sister, Lisa, hated it! She and her brother had been close before Melissa came along, and to say Lisa wasn't the girl's biggest fan was a huge understatement.

Melissa came outside and sat across from him in a red cocktail dress. "How are things at work?" she asked.

"Everything is fine," he told her, lying about his conversation. "The Hall Road property paperwork will be finished by the end of the week. Claire just needed some documents I signed, so I had to let her know where I'd put them."

Leonard had told her something he already knew. It was easier than explaining he had spoken to Oliver and what they had talked about. It wasn't that she didn't like his friends, it was that Leonard was trying to keep something for himself. He'd heard so many people say that once you got married you lost yourself in that person, but Leonard wanted to make sure that he always remained true to who he was.

"Are you ready to go then?" Melissa asked with a smile as she stood up again.

"Yep, I'm all good," Leonard stated, taking his wife's hand and heading out to get dinner.


	2. Halloween Conferences and Fall Formals

October 2016

Auditing was not the profession he would have chosen for himself. He went to college to study business and somehow just ended up in auditing. There was something he enjoyed about it though. The chance to spend time in new buildings and meeting new people, and maybe the idea that everyone was scared of the auditor coming. That, he also enjoyed.

Today, though, he was stuck in the office finishing paperwork. He and Melissa had been married for two months now, and upon returning from their honeymoon, he had gone straight back to work. Meanwhile Melissa, well she did whatever a Central City Socialite did.

Leonard's intercom buzzed, and then he heard his assistant's voice: "A Mr. Oliver Queen is on the phone for you. Shall I put it through, Mr. Snart?"

"Yes, put it through, Claire, and you're free to go. I'll be heading home after this call."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow Mr. Snart."

Leonard picked up the phone. "Oliver, hey man, how's things?"

Oliver was happy to hear his friend's voice come down the line. "Yeah, not too bad," he replied. "Just wondering if you're free tonight?"

"I didn't really have plans. Are you in Central City?" Leonard asked.

"Yeah, last-minute trip this morning. Tommy is here, too, and we figured if you and Mick were both free, we could go out like old times."

"Mick shouldn't have plans, unless he's working. I'll check with him, but how about we meet at The Hub at seven and grab dinner?" Leonard suggested.

"Sounds good on this end! Looking forward to catching up. Tommy and I will see you at seven," Oliver said before hanging up.

Leonard wasn't sure what exactly had brought his friends to Central City, but he hadn't seen them since his wedding, so he was glad they were in town.

As he packed up for the night, he called Melissa to let her know he was going out with friends. She didn't seem all that bothered by it, telling him she'd had a headache all day. Leonard then called Mick and let him know the plans before heading out to The Hub.

The Hub was the place in Central City that Leonard loved yet Melissa hated. It was nothing more than a bar, yet it was so much more at the same time. It was long, with light wood paneling the walls, with booths on the upper level. The lower level consisted of tables directly across from the bar itself, as well as a open space at the back of the room with couches, shuffle board, foosball, and a bookshelf stacked full of board games. It was the place where memories had been made. The place he and Mick would grab a beer and watch a game. It was the place he and Sara had found in college. "Friends had a coffee house, we'll have The Hub," she had told him.

Leonard pushed the door open and gave a nod to Frank behind the bar. He knew the staff by name. He'd been coming here since his first week in the city, and it was the one place that felt like home.

Grabbing a beer, he made his way to a table in the back and slid into a booth. He loosened his tie and took a drink of his beer, glad that the day was over.

The door to The Hub opened, and Leonard smiled as he saw his friends walk in, surprised to see his sister with them. They reached him, and he hugged Lisa tightly. "I didn't know you were coming," he said

"Well I couldn't let you boys have all the fun," Lisa said with a smirk that she no doubt got from him. "I'll get us some drinks, shall I?"

Lisa walked off toward the bar as the guys sat down. Leonard pulled at his tie again, feeling a little overdressed. The conversation flowed easily and reminded him of the times they'd spent together in college.

"So how's married life?" Tommy asked as Lisa appeared back at the table with a tray full of drinks.

Leonard took another drink of his beer. "It's good man," he replied. "Another year and Oliver will know it, too."

"And this year is going to fly by," Lisa said as Leonard's phone started ringing.

"It's Melissa, I should get this," he said, walking off and answering the phone.

"So how is he doing really?" Oliver asked as soon as Leonard was out of earshot.

"Seems to be fine, liking married life, but you know Snart, keeps his emotions to himself," Mick told them. "I still don't really like Melissa. There's something about her that I just don't trust, but it could be because she hates this place."

"Melissa, or as I like to call her, "The Anti-Sara," she thinks she is too good for The Hub." Lisa said.

"The Anti-Sara?" Tommy said with a laugh. "That's a good name for her."

"I don't know why she won't come to Star City," Oliver said.

"Oh, that's easy, she hates the thought of seeing Leonard and Sara together," Lisa explained. "She knows about them, mostly because I've brought it up a lot, but she's scared she will lose him."

"What? Are you for real?" Tommy asked, surprised, as both Mick and Lisa nodded.

Oliver sat, shocked at what he had heard, but he changed the subject as he saw Leonard heading back to the table.

"So Lisa, when are you coming to Star City for a visit? Felicity has been asking when she's going to see you next."

"I have no idea," Lisa repiled as Leonard arrived back at the table. "I should really plan another girls' weekend for us all."

"I can come to that right?" Tommy said as Lisa rolled her eyes.

The rest of the night ran smoothly, as if no time at all had passed between the group of friends, but to Lisa, Leonard seemed unsettled after his phone call with Melissa. She offered to drive her brother home so she could talk to him.

"Len, what's going on?" she asked once she was driving.

"What do you mean?"

"You and Melissa, you've been back for two months now and you just don't seem happy, not like the Leonard that I remember."

"Everything is fine, sis. I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I'm talking about you not being the same Leonard that I grew up with." Lisa said with a sad sigh. "I miss my brother."

"I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. I don't know where this is coming from, Lisa."

"It's silly, just don't even worry about it," she said as she pulled up in front of his house. "I'll see you soon."

Leonard leaned across the car and gave his sister a hug. "I love you, don't ever forget that," he told her before getting out and heading inside.

Once inside, Leonard made his way to the kitchen. The house was quiet, and he figured Melissa had gone to bed. He poured himself a glass of water and thought about his earlier conversation with his wife, then thought about Lisa's comments. Things were different, he really couldn't deny that, but he just wondered when his relationship with his sister changed. They had always been close, and now it was as if they were worlds apart, much like he felt with Sara. Leonard remembered the day as if it was yesterday, the day they swore that they were never going to let anything come between them. So much for that.

 _Sara sighed, blowing her finger slightly. It was October, and the Fall Formal was right around the corner. The problem was that Leonard hadn't asked her yet. They had been playing this "Will they, Won't they" dance for the last year now, and she was ready for them to finally do something about their feelings. She was hoping that he would just ask her to the formal and that would be that. It wasn't like they hadn't even talked about it, they had, but they were afraid that becoming a couple could change their friendship, destroy it even, and neither of them wanted that._

 _Sara looked to her left as Felicity collapsed onto the chair next to her. "So did Leonard ask you yet?" She tucked her hair behind her ear as Sara scowled at her. "I'll take that as a no, then."_

" _I have no idea what is wrong with him! We've talked about this, and I just want this to move further than it currently is," Sara exclaimed, frustrated._

" _He's a boy; he just needs to think it was all his idea," Felicity said with a shrug as Leonard appeared._

" _Who needs to think it was his idea?" he asked._

" _Oliver," Felicity replied a little too quickly. "I should probably go find him, anyway. I'll see you two later."_

 _As Felicity walked off, she gave Sara a nod toward Leonard and kept walking._

" _So do you still want a ride home?" Leonard asked._

 _Sara gave him a half smile and nodded as she stood up. She headed to the parking lot where she knew his truck was, leaving Leonard to trail behind her._

 _The ride was quiet, the unspoken words between them almost deafening in the cab of the truck. Leonard turned the truck in the direction of the park on the edge of town, and Sara turned to stare at him as if she was annoyed._

" _This isn't the way home." She turned her head to look out the window as he drove._

" _You know I can still hear you when you mumble right?" Leonard asked._

 _Sara turned back to look at him and rolled her eyes. "Where the hell are we going, Len?"_

" _You'll see," he said, not giving anything away as he pulled his truck into the park's private road._

 _The two of them had spent almost the whole of their summer here, but now that it was fall, the place looked different somehow. It wasn't just the leaves having changed colors; it was the fact that Sara knew when she got out of the truck it would be cool outside. The thought made her pull her jacket tighter around her as Leonard pulled his truck into a spot at the back of the park and got out._

" _You coming?" he asked._

" _Are you planning on killing me and dumping my body?" she threw back at him._

 _Her question was met with laughter as Leonard closed his door and waited by the trail opening for her._

 _Sara got out of the truck and realised that she had been right about the cold; she wished she also had a scarf as she walked to the trail and past Leonard. She knew where they were going, they had been so many times in the last couple of months. The difference was when she arrived at the spot on the side of the lake, there was a picnic blanket, basket and a huge sign on the grassy area: "Sara Lance - Will you go to the Fall Formal with me?"_

 _Placing her hand to her mouth in surprise, she smiled widely and quickly turned around to see Leonard just shrug at her. "So what do you think?" he asked moving towards her slowly._

" _Yes," she said with a laugh as he reached her and she wrapped her arms around him. "I'd love to go with you."_

 _Pulling out of the hug, Sara shook her head. "When did you have the chance to do this? We've been at school all day."_

" _Lisa had a couple of free periods this afternoon, so she and Tommy helped me out," Leonard explained as he made his way over to the picnic blanket, pulling Sara along behind him. "I got some of your favorite things."_

 _As they sat down, Leonard pulled a bunch of sunflowers out of the basket and handed them to her before pulling out her favorite type of chocolate and cans of soda._

" _I think you've outdone yourself," she said with a smile, smelling the flowers._

" _I just didn't want this to be like everyone else. I wanted this to be something that you would remember because this, us, it's not just about the formal. I know we said it could ruin our friendship, but I don't want to look back and wonder what if. I don't want us to only ever be an almost."_

" _Leonard Snart, are you asking me to be your girl?" Sara said with a grin._

" _There's no one else I'd rather have that title," he said, reaching out and taking her hand. "What do you say?"_

 _Sara's smile grew wider, if that was even possible. "Yes, I don't want us to only ever be an almost, either," she agreed, threading her fingers through his._

 _Leonard looked down at their hands and smiled before looking up at her. They had been friends for almost two and a half years now, but over the summer things had changed between them, and as he looked at Sara, Leonard couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather be with, ever. Using his free hand, he tucked her hair behind her ear and then leaned forward and pressed his lips softly to hers._

 _Sara returned the kiss almost immediately, moving her free hand to his shoulder and then sliding it to the back of his neck. When they broke apart, Sara let out a small sigh and opened her eyes to look at him. She bit her lower lip and smiled._

" _So this is actually happening," she said._

" _We were crazy to think anything could ruin our relationship. It's never going to change for us," Leonard said._

" _Never," Sara agreed._

Sara looked at the sunflowers sitting in the vase on the table in her hotel suite and shook her head. That memory seemed like another lifetime now. She had loved Leonard with every part of her, and even now after all this time she felt like a piece of her was missing. This was part of her life she couldn't share with Felicity or Laurel. It wasn't that they didn't understand, they did, but it had been so long that she knew they felt it was time for her to move on and find someone else, especially since Leonard was now married.

A knock on the door caused her to turn and look across her hotel room, confused. Nobody knew she was in Central City except Felicity. She had drawn the short end of the stick and was stuck attending the annual fall catering conference. Standing up from where she had been working, she made her way across the room and looked through the peephole to see who it was before pulling open the door.

"Sara Lance," Lisa said, pushing her way past the blonde and into the room. "You don't write, you don't call, and then I hear you're in Central City and don't even tell me you are coming."

Sara closed the door and followed Lisa back into the room. "It's a business trip, Lisa, I'm not on vacation."

"What, so you're going to work the whole time? Oliver and Tommy were able to hang out when they were here two weeks ago," Lisa countered.

"Well no, but I mean, I just wasn't sure who to contact."

"You contact one of your best friends in the whole world and you say 'Lisa, I'm coming to town, let's hang out,'" Lisa said, moving toward Sara and then pulling her into a hug before letting her go and hitting her on the arm. "You don't let me find out from Felicity two days into your trip."

"I'm sorry Lisa, I really am. It's just with Leonard married now I wasn't sure if- Well, things are different."

"Between you and him maybe, not between us. In my eyes you'll always be my sister, I'm not accepting that bitch into my family."

Sara laughed. "I think them being married makes her part of your family."

"Not if I don't want her to be. Now where are we gonna go?"

Sighing, Sara shook her head. "I have to give a presentation tomorrow at the conference, and I really need to prepare for that, but I promise that I have tomorrow night free. Why don't you call Caitlin, and the three of us can go out then?"

Lisa threw her hands up in the air at her friend. "Fine, I guess I can do that, but you aren't getting out of this," she said, hugging Sara again.

"It's a promise. I'm looking forward to it," Sara said as she returned the hug and walked Lisa to the door.

"There is this new place on 5th we can go to."

"Sounds great!" Sara said, not really wanting to go back to The Hub just yet.

After Lisa left, Sara worked some more on her presentation before ordering room service, binge watching Friends, and falling asleep.

The next day, Leonard was sitting at his desk trying to work, but he couldn't shake a strange feeling he was having. He had seen a girl on the street that morning who had looked like Sara, but as the cab went flying by, he hadn't gotten a good enough look. He had texted Lisa to ask if she knew whether Sara was in town but hadn't heard back.

If Sara was in town, it was crappy timing. He didn't need seeing her to complicate things. He texted Lisa again and waited for a response. He had to work a late day anyway; he had to go to a newly opened place that evening to finish up an audit while the client was around.

Sara's presentation had gone perfectly. She was so proud of herself and was suddenly glad that she had plans with Lisa and Caitlin. She could definitely use a night of celebratory drinks and dancing before heading back to Star City.

After the conference finished, she headed out to buy herself a dress for the evening. She hadn't packed anything for going out, and she knew Lisa would not allow her out in a pant suit. Sara ended up with a long-sleeve, black dress with sparkles all over it. It fell just above the knee and had a low scooped back, and she knew it would be one Lisa would approve of. After her shopping trip, she headed back to her hotel to get ready for her night out with her friends.

The audit had gone well, and just as Leonard was about to head out, he saw his sister sitting with Caitlin at a table with a glass of wine. Making his way over to his sister and her friend, he smiled at them.

"Hi Cait," he said, giving the girl a hug but noticing she seemed a little off as she returned it. He turned to his sister and gave her a hug, too, before pulling back. "You haven't answered any of my texts today and I've been wanting to talk to you."

"Sorry, I was busy, I was going to call you later, since I'm out with Cait now," Lisa said, hoping he would just leave.

"It's fine, I have news, and I guess Cait can hear, too. It's pretty big, but Melissa's pregnant. I'm going to be a dad."

He expected the girls to be excited, but they looked shocked or worried, he thought as he heard a glass smashing on the ground. He turned to look at where the noise had come from and came face-to-face with Sara.

"I… umm." She bent down to clean up the glass she had dropped. What could she possibly say? One of the waitstaff came and told her he would clean it, so she stood back up again and looked at Leonard.

"Sara," he all but whispered, suddenly realising why his sister hadn't texted him back.

"Hi, Len."

He looked at her with sad eyes. That was not the way he wanted her to find out. She looked gorgeous, ready for a fun night out, and he had just dropped a bombshell.

"I guess congrats are in order," she offered moving to him and giving him a hug.

She was warm and fitted into his arms just like he remembered: perfectly. Her perfume was still the same, he thought as he returned the hug for a moment before pulling back. "Thanks, Sara. I didn't know you were in town."

"I had a conference. I go back to Star City tomorrow," she told him.

Lisa got off her chair and moved between them, hugging Sara. "You go sit with Cait, and I'll walk my brother out," she offered.

Sara nodded, not willing to trust her voice again as she moved away from the siblings and was pulled into a hug by Caitlin.

Leonard walked toward the door with Lisa and let out a sigh. "You could have just told me"

"I didn't know until Felicity contacted me yesterday. Sara wasn't going to tell anyone she was here, and I'm sure that your announcement has probably ruined what was going to be a fun evening," she said ,annoyed, before letting out a sigh much like her brother had. "I'm sorry, Len. I'm happy that you are happy, I just want Sara to be happy."

As Leonard left and watched his sister return to Caitlin and Sara, he couldn't help but think that he wanted the same thing. He wanted Sara to be happy. It wasn't going to be with him like they had promised all those years ago, but that didn't mean she couldn't be with someone else.


	3. Who She Is and Who She Was

December 2016

"Holy crap! It's freezing out there," Sara exclaimed as she entered the cafe through the back door on a particularly cold Wednesday morning. She wiped her feet and took off her jacket, brushing the snow off it as she did. Felicity walked over to her and handed her a steaming cup of black coffee, and she sipped it slowly, letting it warm her body. "Thanks, you're the best friend ever, you know that?"

Felicity laughed. "Well that would be why you're my maid of honor," she said with a bright smile. "But you're right about the weather. I wanted to stay in bed all day."

"I know what you mean, and thanks for opening up this morning, I really appreciate it," Sara said, hanging up her scarf up with her jacket.

"It was no problem at all, honestly. Oliver is out of town again, so it's nice being here. My bed is too cold and lonely without him."

"You guys are too adorable," Sara said as she sipped her coffee and headed out to the front of the cafe.

The bell above the door jingled, and Sara smiled as a regular customer came through the door. "Good morning, Jack, you after your usual?"

The dark haired man smiled at her as he walked over to the counter. "The usual, and I'm still after that date with you."

Sara let out a laugh. She and Jack had been doing this dance for at least six months, and she was always telling him that she didn't date customers. But then again, over the last couple of months, since she had seen Leonard in Central City, she had been thinking about it more and more. She began to speak, but Jack held up his hand and stopped her.

"I know, I know, you don't date customers," Jack said as Sara handed him his coffee and a chocolate muffin. "At least think about it," he added before heading out the door.

"You should have said yes," Sara heard Felicity say as the front door closed. "He has been asking for months, and you know that you need to move on."

Sara bit her lip and smiled at Felicity and then headed for the door. Once out on the street, she looked both ways and tried to see whether she could see Jack. Finally spotting him crossing the street, she ran after him. "Jack, Jack, wait up," she called.

The man stopped and turned back toward Sara and smiled. "Sara, what are you doing out here?"

"Yes," she told him somewhat out of breath. "Yes, I'd like to go on a date with you."

Jack's smile grew wider as he heard her words. "What made you change your mind?" he asked.

"A friend reminded me that I need to move on from the past, and going on a date with you would be a good place to start. How about tomorrow night?" she asked.

"I'm very glad that your friend told you to give this a go," Sara heard him say, and she smiled up at him.

"I should get back to work. I have a lot to do today," she said. "But, tomorrow, after work, pick me up at the cafe?"

"Sure, I can do that. Have a great day Sara," Jack said.

"You, too," she replied before turning back and heading towards the cafe.

Entering the cafe again, Sara found the place crowded and moved straight behind the counter to help Felicity, who just gave her a knowing grin. "We'll talk later," Sara told her friend.

The morning ran smoothly. It was busy, but that's exactly how the girls liked it. By mid-afternoon, the place had quieted down, so Sara and Felicity took the time to have a coffee themselves and grab something to eat.

"So do you have a date tonight?" Felicity asked.

"Tomorrow actually. He is going to pick me up from work," Sara said with a grin. "I think you were right. After everything that happened in Central City, I just need to move on."

Felicity sighed. Part of her still held out hope for Leonard and Sara to get back together. She always thought that they would, and now if they did it would almost seem like a Romantic Comedy or maybe Drama, but either way, she wondered now whether it would ever happen for them.

"I just don't like to see you so sad," Felicity told her best friend. "And I know since the break up that you've just felt lost and honestly, you deserve better than that. If your life isn't meant to be with Leonard, you still don't deserve to be alone."

Sara thought about Felicity's words as her friend stood up to go and help a customer. She was right! Sara had every right to be happy. Just because she wasn't with Leonard didn't mean she couldn't find happiness with someone else. It was just that she really hadn't tried to do so. Maybe that was because they had actually been so happy together though. She could count on her hands the times that they fought because it didn't happen that often, but they had always gotten through it. She had always supported him, and he had always supported her, at least right up until the end. Their relationship had been built on a friendship, so trust and love had come from a place that Sara couldn't even describe; it was as if the whole world was made for them, something Leonard had even said to her once, and most likely something she'd never forget.

" _Leonard, where are we going?" Sara asked as her boyfriend pulled her toward the docks. The day after they graduated high school, they had taken off for Italy with Oliver, Felicity, Mick, Caitlin, Lisa, Tommy, Kara and Barry. The first two weeks had been spent doing a tour, but now they were all staying in a villa on the Amalfi Coast._

 _Leonard had woken Sara up early. He'd told her the night before that he wanted to spend the day, just the two of them. She eagerly agreed. It wasn't that she didn't love their friends, but she wanted some time for just them. This was their last adventure before college, and Sara was determined to live every moment to remember it._

 _Reaching the dock, Leonard stopped in front of a boat and turned to look at Sara with a smile. "This is ours for the day," he told her as he stepped into the boat and then helped her in. It was still dark out, but in the distance Sara could see the sun on the horizon, and she smiled as she heard Leonard start the engine._

 _Making her way over to him, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and then sat down as he steered the boat away from the dock and out into the open water. It was a calm morning. The only sound came from the boat moving across the ocean and some birds in the sky above._

 _Sara looked at Leonard and smiled, thinking about just how lucky she was. She pulled the blanket he had packed out of the bag and tossed it over her legs, tucking them under her. "When did you plan this?" she asked, pulling her hair over her left shoulder._

" _I may have asked around yesterday about it," Leonard said with a grin. "While you were at the pool with the girls."_

 _Her boyfriend was sneaky, that was for sure. Between this day and the day they officially became a couple, Sara knew if she ever wanted to do anything for him, she needed to step up her game._

 _The sun started to come up, and Sara smiled as Leonard killed the engine and came and sat by her. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and leaned her head on his shoulder._

" _Thank you for this," she said, twining her fingers with his as they watched the sun rise._

" _This is just the start," he told her, and he meant it. Not just the start of the day, but this was what he wanted to be the start of the future for them._

" _What exactly is the plan for today? Surely we aren't just going to sit on the boat in the middle of the ocean." Sara said._

" _Do you see the island over there?" Leonard asked, pointing it out with his finger as Sara nodded. "We are going to spend the day there."_

 _As the boat rocked softly on the water, Sara felt a sense of peace wash over her. She let out a content sigh as Leonard turned to kiss the top of her head and wrapped his arm around her._

" _What are you thinking?" he whispered ._

 _Sara smiled before turning to look at him. "I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you and that I love you, not just for planning this day, but I love you for everything you are."_

 _It was sappy, she knew that, and for the most part, she and Leonard weren't sappy, at least not around anyone else. She thought back to the day he asked her to the formal, the day she officially became his girl. She thought that day had been sappy, but no, for the most part they were boring, and normal, and nothing like Oliver and Felicity with their complete over-the-top PDA._

" _I love you, too, Sara." Leonard told her. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather be here with, because right now in this moment, it's like the world was made for us."_

 _Leaning in, he kissed her soft and slow, as if they had all the time in the world. In this moment he was sure that they would be together forever, and the ring he had stuffed into his bag for later would cement that._

 _After watching the sunrise, they had made their way to the island. The place was beautiful and Sara had almost wished that they had chosen to stay there instead of their villa. They had spent the morning exploring the island itself and were now content to just be together._

 _Sara was laying on the beach tanning herself in the sun. Feeling slightly dehydrated, she sat up and rifled through the backpack Leonard had brought looking for the water. Instead her hand found a square box, and she pulled it out of the bag. It was a jewelery box._

 _Turning her head, she could see Leonard on the dock messing around with something, so she turned back to the box in her hand. Sara's heart beat faster in her chest as she opened the box and then snapped it closed again. His mother's ring! She knew it well. Leonard had spoken of it before, and not only him, but Lisa. Sara remembered Lisa saying that when their mom had died, she wanted Leonard to give it to the girl he was going to marry._

 _Sara stuffed the box back into the bag and lay back down on her towel, the water forgotten. They had just graduated high school, they hadn't even started college, and this was not One Tree HIll! Her mind was running at a hundred miles a minute. What was she supposed to say? Did she want to get married? Did she want to marry Leonard?_

 _That last one was a no brainer. Of course she wanted to marry Leonard. There was no question in her mind about it. Sara could never see herself being with anyone else._

" _We left the water on the boat," she heard Leonard call out as he approached her and tossed her a bottle._

" _Yeah, I figured," she replied with a shrug, catching the bottle with one hand. "They weren't in the backpack."_

 _Leonard settled on the beach next to her, and Sara smiled over at him, sipping the water she had opened. Her brain was still working on overtime, and she couldn't help it when she spoke._

" _Do you think about the future?" she asked him, biting her lip and waiting for him to answer._

" _Did you find the ring?" he asked, responding to her question with his own._

 _Sara opened her mouth to speak and closed it again, trying to choose her words. Did she lie? Die she act surprised? He was watching her through his sunglasses, and she needed to have an answer quickly._

" _There is a high possibility of that," she said, rubbing at her nose. "I'm sorry, I was looking for water and I just found it."_

 _Leonard shook his head and reached into the bag and pulled out the ring box. He opened it and stared at the ring. His mother had died when he was ten. Lisa had been nine, and it had been the worst time of their lives. Sara knew the story, knew how much he had been through in his life._

 _Turning back toward Sara, he smiled and shook his head seeing the smile she had on her face. This wasn't at all what he had planned, but somehow, in some way, this fit them._

" _I know we are young, but when I think about my parents and how little time they had together, I don't want to waste our time_ not _being together," he told her. "This isn't at all how I'd planned this, but I want nothing more than to marry you. It doesn't have to be today, or this year, or even before we finish college, I-"_

" _Yes," Sara said, nodding at him_

" _You didn't even let me finish."_

" _Sorry," she said with a laugh. "It's just that, I don't need you to say anything else for me to know that I want to marry you."_

 _Leonard smiled, a real genuine smile. The kind he reserved only for Sara. He leaned forward and kissed her before pulling back and taking the ring out of the box._

" _Are you sure?"_

" _Would you just put the ring on my finger already!" she told him, holding her hand out toward him._

 _As he slid the ring onto Sara's finger, everything changed. It was something Leonard was sure that they both felt. As he leaned across and kissed her, Leonard felt Sara smile into the kiss and rest her hand against his cheek._

" _Not to be cheesy, but that was our first kiss as an engaged couple," Sara mumbled as they broke the kiss and Leonard leaned his head against hers._

" _I thought Sara Lance wasn't cheesy," he said._

" _Maybe just this once, don't tell anyone," she shrugged. "But on that subject, I'm going to be Sara Snart. I'm not so sure about that. Maybe you should take my last name?"_

" _Leonard Lance?" he questioned with an eyebrow raised._

" _Oh second thought, we can't get married," she joked. "There is no way this ends well."_

 _By mid-afternoon, they were back on the boat and sailing for home, or at least home for the next week. Leonard turned to look at Sara and smiled. This day wasn't what he planned, but it had turned out pretty perfect regardless._

 _With Leonard at the wheel, Sara took the opportunity to stare at her engagement ring. A smile appeared on her face as she studied it. It wasn't big, a gold band with a raised diamond and then two tiny diamonds on swirls leading back down to the band. It was a simple design, not at all flashy, but then again, Sara wasn't the girl that needed big and flashy. The fact that Leonard had given her his mom's ring, that meant more to Sara than all the diamonds in the world._

 _Getting up from her seat, she moved over to where Leonard was steering the boat back toward the dock. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and kissed his shoulder before leaning her head against his back._

" _I love you," she whispered, only just loud enough for him to hear over the sounds of the boat on the water._

" _I love you, too," he replied before lifting her left hand from its position around his waist and kissing it as close to the ring as he could. "I'll always love you."_

He _would_ always love her, he thought as he looked at the picture on his office wall, of himself with the boat. Sara had taken it when they'd gotten back to the dock. He'd wanted nothing else than to get back to the villa as soon as possible for some alone time before meeting the others for dinner, but she'd had to get a photo first.

They had been so in love, so full of life, so happy. He found himself wondering where that Leonard had gone and how he could be that person again.

Looking over at the clock on the wall, Leonard sighed. It was probably time to head home. He just wasn't sure what mood his pregnant wife would be in when he got there. It had been touch and go for the last couple of weeks, and although he hated it, he had started comparing Melissa to Sara more and more often. For example, he knew Sara wouldn't have made doctor's appointments when he was out of town. All he had seen were ultrasound photos. He hadn't gotten to listen to his baby's heartbeat. Melissa said it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she and the baby were healthy. It would have been different with Sara; she would have wanted him there.

That fact that he thought he had made a mistake by marrying Melissa was something that played on his mind daily. He wasn't a cheater, and he wasn't one to leave his wife after making a commitment, but every day he worried about what kind of life his child would have with a parent who wasn't fully committed to the woman he married. Were his feelings for Sara actually him cheating, at least emotionally?

All he knew, really, was that if he wanted to make this family work, he needed to let go of Sara, for good.

As he moved across the room, he pulled the photo of him and the boat off the wall and put it in a cabinet. Out of sight, out of mind. He would put something else up later, he thought as he flicked the light off and headed out of the office.


	4. Rumors and Adventures

February 2017

"We need to talk!" Lisa walked into her brother's office late on a Friday afternoon and shut the door behind her.

"Good to see you too Lisa. By all means, come on in and start demanding things," Leonard said, rolling his eyes at his sister, but he stopped what he was doing to give her his attention anyway.

Lisa sat down in the chair across from her brother and bit her lip. She wasn't at all sure how to tell him what was on her mind. Standing up again, she began to pace his office.

"Lisa, what the hell is going on?"

Turning to face her brother, she let out a sigh. "Melissa is cheating on you."

Leonard shook his head at his sister's confession. "No, she's not," he said as the door to his office burst open and Mick walked in.

"You told him, didn't you?"

Lisa walked over to the door and closed it again. "I had to, Mick."

"I told you not to! Not until we had proof."

Leonard couldn't believe what was happening. His friend and his sister were having a whole conversation as if he wasn't there. But Mick had a point; what proof did they have? Because from the sound of it, they had nothing.

Walking around the desk, Leonard made his way toward them. "Can I ask you why exactly you think my wife is cheating on me? I know you don't like her all that much, but Lisa, this is harsh even from you."

"I have proof," Lisa explained as Mick let out a groan. She knew if she was wrong she could lose her brother forever, but this was something that she was sure of.

"Okay, well let's have it," Leonard said, his arms crossed, looking pointedly at her.

"I may have accidently knocked the ultrasound photo off your desk in your home office. But when it fell, the frame broke, so I went to replace it and found something." Lisa noticed the look of surprise both men in the room were giving her. She hadn't even told Mick this part, so she continued. "The border hidden by the frame has the due date on it, something you have never officially seen or heard from anyone except Melissa."

"Why does that matter?" Mick asked confused.

"The date is earlier than the date she has been telling us, meaning that she would have had to get pregnant before the wedding. If that's the case, it would have been while Len was in National City for work, meaning..."

"Meaning I'm not the father," Leonard stated. He shook his head and dropped into the nearest chair. This was not happening. It was like something out of the cheesy soaps that Melissa watched.

He wasn't sure what to do with the information. On one hand, his wife was lying to him and had been since before their wedding; this child wasn't his. But on the other hand, it _was_ his child. He had been there for the midnight craving runs, he had been the one to put the nursery furniture together, he was the one who felt the baby kick the first time. In just two months, Melissa would give birth to a child he had spent seven months believing was his.

"Len?" Lisa said, making her way to him. "Say something."

"I want to be alone," he told Lisa and then looked at Mick. "Can you get her out of here?"

Mick just nodded at him and put an arm around Lisa, leading her from the office. He could hear Lisa protesting as Mick lead her out, saying something about him not being alone, but that was exactly what he needed. Once they were gone, Leonard crossed to the window and looked out over Central City. His mind was racing, yet only one person came to mind. Sara. He wanted more than anything to call her. She would give him the advice he needed. The problem was, Leonard couldn't do that to her. Last he had heard, Sara was moving on with her life, and the last thing she needed was him to confuse her, talking about his problems.

Both Oliver and Tommy had warned him before his wedding, Sara was still in love with him. They also said that if he wasn't going to choose her, he needed to let her go. He had done that, and now in hindsight, it was the worst decision of his life.

He remembered the day that had started it all. He remembered being worried about their relationship, but Sara had assured him that everything would be fine.

" _It's just six months!" Sara told him. "And this is a great opportunity for me."_

 _It was summer before their junior year of college, and they were at Sara's apartment. She had just beat out over 100 applicants and been accepted into a prestigious cooking school in London. It would take her away from Central City and away from Leonard for six months, but she knew with their love, they could handle six months apart._

" _You know I support you doing this. I'm so proud of you Sare," Leonard told her with a smile._

 _Smiling back at him, Sara leaned up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "I'm so in love with you Leonard Snart," she mumbled against his lips._

 _This was everything that she had been working toward, and here he was supporting her, every step of the way. Sara couldn't have asked for a more understanding and loving fiance._

" _Six months will fly by. We won't even notice the time," Leonard said resting his forehead against hers_

" _And when I come back, we'll start planning the wedding!" Sara said, kissing him again._

 _It was the first time in awhile that she had brought up the subject of their wedding, and it made Leonard smile into the kiss. If he was honest, he wasn't sure she even wanted to get married. No. That wasn't true. He knew she wanted to marry him, he just wasn't sure when it would ever happen. They had been so focused on school, and she had sent applications for internships and semesters abroad, that he just didn't know where they would be exactly in the next year._

 _Leonard broke the kiss and made his way over to the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers. "We should celebrate," he said, sitting back down next to her and handing her a bottle._

" _Okay, what should we drink to?" Sara asked_

" _To you and this amazing adventure you are gonna go on."_

" _And to us, always supporting each other no matter what," she added with a grin before sipping her beer._

 _They had two months together before she had to leave, and she had no doubt that they would still talk all the time, and they could be crazy and take long weekends to see each other. This would work. She would do her semester abroad and then she would return home and they could plan their wedding._

 _Sara looked across at him as she sipped her beer. "What are you thinking about?" she asked._

" _You in a white dress," Leonard said sending her a wink._

" _Who says I'll wear white?" Sara said with a smirk as she put her bottle on the coffee table. "Maybe I'll wear gold or something."_

 _Leonard placed his bottle with her on the table and pulled her into his lap. "I don't care what you wear, as long as I'm the guy taking it off you at the end of the night."_

 _Sara moved so she could straddle his lap. She pressed her lips to his as she wrapped her arms around his neck and felt Leonard's hands slip under the back of her top._

" _We should move this to the bedroom, in case Cait comes home," Leonard said against her lips._

 _Sara pulled back slightly to look at him. "Didn't Mick tell you him and Cait were going away for the weekend?" she asked._

" _Apparently not," Leonard said as he changed their position so Sara was laying beneath him on the couch. He leaned down and kissed her again, only breaking the kiss when she tugged his shirt over his head._

 _An hour or so later Sara awoke on the couch in Leonard's arms and turned her head to look at him. Pressing her lips to his temple, she slid herself out of his arms and threw his shirt on before making her way to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water and stared out the apartment window for a moment before turning back to look at her fiance on the couch. Part of her wished she didn't have to leave, that she could just stay with Leonard, in that apartment forever. The bigger part of her knew she couldn't. If she stayed here, she might regret it, might regret the opportunity never taken. The one to live out her dreams and become the person she was meant to be._

 _She turned back to look out the window and became so lost in her thoughts that she didn't know Leonard was even awake, until she felt him wrap his arms around her middle and pull her closer to him. Sara leaned back against him and continued to stare out the window without a word, and as if he knew she needed it, Leonard said nothing. Closing her eyes, Sara let out a content sigh as she rested her hands on his._

 _Finally breaking the silence, Leonard spoke. "So I was thinking, what if you find some guy in London with those English accents and decide that we aren't meant to be?"_

 _A small smile appeared on Sara's lips at his question, thinking about just how insane that idea was. "I love you. Always have, always will," she whispered into the quiet room before opening her eyes and turning her to kiss his neck. "Nothing will come between us, I promise you that."_

 _Leonard turned her in his arms and pressed her back against the counter. "I'll always love you, too," he told her, kissing her forehead softly. "Also, you look good in my shirt, you know that, right?"_

 _She looked at the smirk on his face and let out a laugh, pushing at his chest a little. "Go shower and I'll order some food."_

" _You don't want to join me in the shower?" he questioned as he started to leave. "We could go for round two."_

 _Sara shook her head and laughed. "As much as I'd love that, someone has to be dressed to answer the door for the pizza guy."_

 _With Leonard in the shower, Sara threw on the pair of shorts she had been wearing before and ordered the food. Then, as she started to clean the lounge area of the apartment, her mind drifted back to her earlier thoughts. She didn't want to live her life with regrets, she was sure of that. So when she made her mind up to apply for the semester abroad, she knew she had to follow through with it, if she got it. She stared at her reflection in the window and gave a nod to herself. No regrets, not ever._

Regret. The one thing in her life she swore that she would never have, yet here she was living with it. Sara always thought that if she didn't go to London she would regret it, but it's funny the way life turns out. She did exactly what she thought she should do to save herself the pain of regret, and it turned out to be the only source of regret she had.

She was sitting at the table in the kitchen of the cafe and tapping her fingers on the side of her coffee mug. It had been a couple of months since her first date with Jack, and honestly, in her opinion, it could have gone better. Jack was nice, a perfect gentleman the entire evening, but Sara's mind kept wandering back to Leonard. It wasn't that she meant to compare every guy to him, it just happened. And it had continued to happen every time they had gone out.

Felicity walked into the kitchen and slide into the seat across from her. "We are all locked up out front," she said before noticing her friend's face. "Okay what's going on?"

Sara looked up from her coffee and sighed with a pout. "It's Jack," she mumbled before placing her head on her arms that were folded on the table.

Felicity heard Sara mumble something else but couldn't understand her. "If you are going to talk, you need to sit up straight and have a proper conversation like an adult, Sara."

Lifting her head, Sara stuck her tongue out at the blonde before sipping her coffee.

"Very mature, Sara," Felicity said with a roll of her eyes

Placing her mug down, Sara sighed again. "He's not Leonard," she said. "I know I'm meant to be moving on, and it's been years since the break up, but no one I ever date seems right. No one I've been with makes sense like Len and I did."

Felicity's heart broke for her friend as she got up and moved to the seat next to Sara. She pulled her friend into a hug and held her tight, feeling Sara's body shaking. "You haven't said anything about this in ages Sare. I thought you were doing better. I thought you were ready to date again, and I mean more than just a once off thing."

Sara pulled back and Felicity could see the tears rolling down her friend's cheeks. Sara wasn't a big crier, this Felicity knew, but she also knew that this meant Sara had been holding onto this for a while now.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Felicity asked.

"I just didn't want to go on and on about it. I've been trying, I really have. It's just everytime I think about him, with her and having a child, my heart breaks all over again. It should have been us and I ruined that, I ruined everything."

Felicity pulled Sara back into a hug and rubbed her back softly. "Everyone thought you two would end up together," she stated as Sara started crying harder. "Okay, wrong thing to say, I'm sorry."

Sara wasn't sure how long she sat there crying in Felicity's arms, but at some point Oliver had made his way in and opened a bottle of wine. He was sitting across from them, pouring three glasses as Sara wiped at her cheeks. Oliver slid the glasses across the table and Sara picked up the glass and took a sip.

"Thanks, Ollie," she said with a sad smile before taking Felicity's hand in her own. "And thank you. I honestly have no idea what I'd do without you somedays."

"You're welcome, but you are also my best friend, and you need to talk to me about everything. I don't care how much you think I don't want to hear what you are going through. I've never said I didn't want to hear about you hurting over Leonard still. It hurts that you think I didn't want to know," Felicity said, looking at her best friend

"I'm sorry," Sara said taking a breath. "I just didn't want to be a downer. It's been so long and I just can't move on. What if I never can?"

Sara looked across the table at Oliver, who was drinking his wine and just taking in the conversation, before looking back at Felicity.

"I promise you that you will get through this, and so maybe Jack wasn't the guy for you, but you took a risk and you went out with him, and that's a step," Felicity told Sara honestly before taking a sip from her own glass.

"Felicity is right," Oliver said from his spot across the table. "We love you and you are one of our best friends, and we are here for you no matter what, and if I need to find another groomsman, I will, and Leonard will understand."

"No. No, I can't have you change that, Ollie. It's not fair to him. He should be at your wedding because once upon a time we were all best friends and I won't be the one who makes you change your wedding plans," Sara said.

She took another sip of her wine and sighed, thinking about her breakdown, and then smiled at the two people sitting at the table with her.

"I'm thankful that I have you both," she said. "I don't know how I would have got through the last couple of years without you."

"That's what friends are for!" Felicity said. "Well, that and wine," she added, raising her glass at her best friend and then her fiance.

After an hour or so of chatting with Felicity and Oliver, Sara decided that it was probably best for the three of them to call it a night. They went their separate ways, and while Sara was happy to finally be home in her apartment, it also left her alone with her thoughts.

Making her way over to the phone, she picked it up and began dialing Leonard's number, but she quickly hung up again, hoping it hadn't rung on his end. She shook her head, turned to make her way to the kitchen when the phone rang. Freezing, she turned back to look at it and bit her lip. Maybe it had rung, and maybe it was him, but worse, what if it was Melissa?

Sara picked up the phone quickly but nervously and placed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Sara?"

The voice came down the line still as smooth as ever. It's wasn't as if she would ever forget it; it was the same voice that plagued her dreams at night and her thoughts during the day.

"Sara, are you there?" Leonard asked again, quietly.

"I'm here," she whispered, not sure why she was whispering at all.

"Did you need something?"

 _You, I need you_ , she thought as she sighed, shaking her head before realising he couldn't see her.

"I...I was meaning to call Lisa and hit your number instead," she lied. "But it's good to hear your voice."

"It's good to hear your voice, too," Leonard said wanting to tell her everything he had found out in the last week. He almost did when he heard her voice again.

"I should go, I have an early start tomorrow. Goodbye, Leonard."

"Bye, Sare," he said and then she was gone.

He sounded different to her, tired, stressed even, and Sara guessed that was what happened when you had a pregnant wife demanding things at all hours. She let herself wonder briefly what their life together would have been like. Would they have still traveled the world? Would they have a kid by now? She knew he would be a great dad, but she also knew he would have been a great husband. Regret, she thought, it never really leaves. In fact, it mostly just leaves you thinking about all the could-have-beens, the might-have-beens and the past events you can't change.

Little did she know that the man who might have been her everything was sitting in his own apartment wishing she was still his everything.


	5. New Beginnings and Emotional Endings

March 2017

A month had gone by since Sara's breakdown at the cafe with Oliver and Felicity. Since then she had really been giving it a go, trying to move on. Things had really picked up for not only the cafe, but for Sara. Dylan had come into her life two days after her breakdown, and there was just something about him that had her smiling.

They had been out many times in the last month, and she knew that Laurel was hoping for the best. The older of the Lance sisters had even said so at one point. Sara knew she wasn't meant to hear it, but it wasn't like the cafe was a large place, and Laurel and Felicity had never been subtle about anything.

Sara wa getting ready for another date with Dylan when her laptop sounded with a Skype call. Making her way over, she smiled as she accepted the call.

"Well hi," she said as Lisa's face appeared on the screen, and much to her surprise, she saw Mick's, too.

"Hey Sare!"

"Wow, looking hot, Blondie."

"Thanks Mick, I'm just getting ready for a date," Sara told them as she threaded her earring through the hole in her ear.

"Date?" Lisa asked. "I didn't know you were seeing anyone."

"Yeah, for the last month. His name is Dylan, and he is amazing."

"Oh, okay," Lisa said with a sigh.

"Is everything okay? Why were you guys calling?" Sara asked.

"We were just calling because-"

"Because it's been a while and we were thinking about making a trip to see you," Mick interrupted. "We can see you're busy, so just let us know, okay?"

"For real, that's awesome!" Sara said. "Of course, I'll find some dates and let you know. I can't wait to see you both."

A knock on her apartment door caused her to smile brightly, something neither Lisa or Mick had seen since Leonard.

"That's Dylan, I really should go, but let's chat soon, okay? I'll email you both with the dates tomorrow."

With goodbyes said, and the call disconnected, Lisa turned to Mick and hit his arm. "Why did you cut me off?"

"And they say I'm meant to be the dumb one! Did you not see how happy she was?" he asked. "We don't even know what's going to happen with Len. It's been a month and he's done nothing, Lisa. We couldn't ruin Sara's evening, or her life, for a possibility."

"Since when did you become so smart?" Lisa asked, shaking her head "Wanna head to The Hub for a beer and pizza?"

"Might as well, Cait is working late and I have nothing better to do."

"Gee, Thanks!" Lisa said as they headed out of her apartment.

Elsewhere, Sara was sipping wine and laughing at something Dylan had said. She had briefly thought about her conversation with Lisa and Mick in the car on the way to the restaurant, but nothing more, and if she was being honest, it no longer hurt when she thought about Leonard.

That didn't mean she hadn't noticed Mick's cover up. But Sara knew Mick well enough to know that he clearly didn't want her to know, and she was actually okay with that.

Sara about froze in her seat as Dylan mentioned heading to the lake. He spoke about a place he had found by the back parking lot, and suddenly Sara found it hard to breathe. She hadn't been there since that day, and she certainly didn't want to go there with Dylan.

"I know the spot," she confessed. "My ex and I used to go there, so maybe not a place we want to go for a romantic evening."

"Sara, I'm sorry," Dylan said, reaching across the table and squeezing her hand. His words were genuine, and Sara knew that one of her friends had probably filled Dylan in on at least part of her history.

"It's fine Dyl, you didn't know," she said, lacing their fingers together and smiling at him, "but I would like to get out of here."

"That can be arranged. We can just go back to your place if you want?"

"Sounds perfect," Sara agreed. But as they were in the car on the way to her apartment, all Sara could think about was that fateful day that changed everything for her.

 _Something had been bothering Leonard since the airport. Sara knew it. He hadn't hugged her like he normally did. Granted, she had thrown herself at him and wrapped her legs around his waist the moment she saw him, almost knocking him down, but this was different. He was different._

 _They had this planned for months. They both had two weeks off at the same time, so the plan was to spend them together in Star City and catch up with friends and family while they were there. To Sara, it didn't seem like he wanted to be there._

" _Are you not happy that I'm here?" she asked as he drove them from the airport. "Because I thought this is what we had been waiting for?"_

" _I just have a lot on my mind, Sare, that's all," he told her lightly, squeezing her hand._

 _He did have a lot on his mind. That wasn't a lie. He just wasn't sure how to share it with her yet. Sara leaping into his arms at the airport had been everything he had wanted for months, but as happy as he was, he knew that she would soon be gone again and they'd fall back into the same routine. The one where they wouldn't speak for days or weeks at a time. For Leonard, that just wasn't enough anymore._

 _Leonard pulled his truck into the lot at the park and killed the engine once he reached their spot. He let go of Sara's hand and had to turn away from her. Her smiling face was far too much for him, especially with what he was about to do. He walked down the path to the spot they had been so many times before and looked out at the lake._

 _She followed behind him at a distance, wondering what on earth was going on with him. Finally breaking out into the clearing, she found him looking out across the lake, and she sighed. Something was very wrong, and she had no idea how to fix it, mostly because she didn't know what it was._

" _I'm just not sure I can do this long distance thing anymore, Sara," Leonard said sadly, turning around to look at his fiance._

 _Sara couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been so excited to be back for a couple of weeks to see him, and he no longer felt the same._

" _I don't know where this is coming from," she said, trying to understand what was going on. "I know it's been hard, but we will get through this. I've only got five months left."_

" _It was only meant to be six months to begin with, Sara. What if you want to extend again?" Leonard asked._

" _I won't," she cried, "and you could come and see me for a weekend or a week, whatever."_

" _It's not like you are across the country; you are on the other side of the world, and we are never on the same schedule anymore."_

 _Sara clutched her hand to her heart. It felt like it was breaking, like she was dying inside. She couldn't see, and she realised she was crying._

 _Forcefully, she wiped at her eyes. "I'll be better, I'll try harder," she said through her tears, reaching for his hand. "I love you Leonard."_

 _He stepped away from her and shook his head. "I thought it wouldn't matter, I thought you being there wouldn't change us, but it has."_

" _Don't you love me anymore?" Sara asked through her tears._

" _Of course I still love you," he told her. "I just can't wait around for you anymore, Sara."_

 _Her heart, it was as if she could physically feel it cracking, but she knew her next words would be the hardest._

" _Is there someone else?"_

 _Leonard sighed and shook his head. "No, there is no one else. But there could be, for both of us. We just have to stop holding on to each other for that to happen."_

 _She couldn't believe that he was doing this, especially here. How dare he turn the lake, their spot, into a place she would now forever hate._

" _I don't want this to be over," she cried as she looked at him._

" _I don't either, Sara. But at some point we have to realise that this isn't working. This, us, both being on different sides of the world. I can't do it."_

" _I'll come back, I don't need to be over there."_

 _Leonard moved toward her and took her hands in his. "Yes, yes you do, Sara. I could never ask you to come back for me. What if you came back and then you regretted it and resented me for it?"_

" _I wouldn't, this would be my choice!"_

" _It's not a choice I am letting you make," he said firmly._

" _But_ you _are choosing to end us, our relationship, our engagement!" she said through her tears._

" _This is for the best, Sara, you'll see," he said kissing her on the forehead._

 _She pulled away from him, annoyed. "You have no idea what you are talking about Leonard. This is not going to be a good thing, I can almost guarantee it!"_

 _Sara walked toward the lake and stared out at the sight that used to make her happy. Today it was anything but that. She looked down at her hand and bit her lip to hold in a sob as she pulled off her engagement ring and then turned back to face Leonard._

" _I guess this doesn't belong to me anymore," she said holding the ring out to him._

 _Leonard wasn't one for crying, but as he took the ring back from Sara, he felt a few tears roll down his cheek._

" _I should get you home," he said._

" _No, I need to be alone," she told him. "I'll call a cab."_

 _Sara dialed the number for the cab company and made her way to Leonard's truck to grab her things. She pulled out her bags out and placed them on the ground._

" _I guess this is goodbye." she said, trying to hold herself together, and she wrapped her arms around herself._

" _I guess," Leonard agreed. "We'll always be fr-"_

" _Don't say friends," Sara said cutting him off. "You know full well we were never just friends."_

 _The cab pulled up and Sara loaded her stuff in the trunk before sliding into the back seat without another look at Leonard._

" _Airport, please." She told the driver before sending a message to Felicity and Laurel letting them know she wouldn't be making it home after all._

Leonard held his mother's engagement ring between his fingers and sighed. He hated the memory of Sara giving it back to him, even more than the memory of his mother telling him to give it to the woman he would marry.

He had done that. He had honored his mother's wishes. At least, he had the first time he got engaged. When he had proposed to Melissa, he couldn't give her his mother's ring. It didn't feel right. That was still Sara's ring, whether he was willing to admit it or not. So instead, he had gone to Tiffany's and found a huge flashy ring, something that screamed _I cost more than your house,_ and of course Melissa had been thrilled.

Placing the ring back into its box, Leonard tucked it back into his desk drawer. He had spent more and more time at the office since Lisa had shared the truth about his wife with him. He guessed he was now giving her the perfect chance to continue to cheat on him, but part of him didn't care. He didn't care because it was more apparent to him every day that he wasn't in love with his wife, not like he should have been. The love of his life was and always would be Sara Lance.

Leonard sighed and rubbed at his eyes. It was probably time to go home, and more importantly, it was time to have a frank conversation with his wife about the baby.

Arriving home, Leonard found Melissa watching TV in the lounge and smiled at her as he made his way through to his home office. He picked up the new frame off the desk and took the photo out.

He walked back to the lounge, and Melissa patted the spot on the sofa next to her. "Come sit down, babe, the movie is just starting."

"Actually, can you pause it? We need to talk about something."

"Sure." Melissa paused the TV and gave Leonard a strange look. "What's going on?"

"I need to know if you are cheating on me, or if you ever have." He said her, letting out a breath he didn't know that he was holding in.

"What?! What on earth are you talking about?" Melissa asked. "I would never cheat on you, and I can't believe you would ask me that!"

Leonard took the ultrasound photo out of his pocket and placed it on the table for her to see, then stepped back.

"Care to explain the dates on this, then?" he asked. "Because according to this, you got pregnant while I was in National City for work."

Melissa looked up at him through tears and shook her head. "I didn't mean it, it just happened."

Leonard shook his head. "It's just happened one time, or is this ongoing?"

His wife cried harder, placing her head in her hands, and he sighed. Her reaction told him that it wasn't just once.

"The baby could be yours," she said with a shrug.

"Maybe, but most likely not, right?" Leonard said. "Look, I looked it up online, and I know that it's safer to wait until you've had the baby for us to do a paternity test, so we can do that. But I'm going to stay in the guest room from now on."

"Lucas doesn't even know it could be his," Melissa said as Leonard turned to leave the room.

Spinning back around to face her, his face was a look of shock. "Lucas? As in Lucas from my work? As in Lucas who you've known forever and are just friends with? That Lucas?"

"We didn't mean for it to happen." Melissa said.

"You know, I can't be here tonight. I'm gonna go stay with Mick for the night."

"No, Leonard, don't, we can work through this."

"At this point, I highly doubt it," he said in an angry tone as he made his way upstairs to pack an overnight bag.

Coming back down the stairs with his bag, Leonard noticed Melissa still crying where he had left her, and he closed his eyes. This wasn't how he expected his marriage to go. He didn't want to be one of those couples that didn't last a year, but that's where it was heading.

"I'll call you tomorrow, Mel," He told her as he walked out the door and headed to his friend's place.

Mick lived across town, but Leonard knew it wouldn't be a problem for him to crash on his friend's couch. After all, they were used to it by now. He let himself into his friend's apartment and found Mick watching a game on the TV.

"Who's winning?" he asked.

Mick was about to answer when he saw the look on his friend's face. "What the hell happened to you?" he asked, flicking off the TV.

Leonard made his way to the fridge and pulled out a beer before sitting in the chair opposite his friend. He popped the top off the beer and took a long drink from the bottle. "Lisa was right. Melissa was, possibly still is, cheating on me."

"Shit man, I'm sorry."

"It's, well, it sucks. I just need to crash here tonight and work out what to do."

"No problem, the couch is yours." Mick paused for a moment before adding, "What about the baby?"

"No idea. It's not safe to get a test now until after the birth, so I guess we will work that out then."

Mick was a man of few words, but that didn't matter. He was exactly the type of friend Leonard needed right now.

Once Mick had gone to bed, Leonard lay awake on the couch, lost in his thoughts. Melissa. Baby. Lucas. Baby. Punching Lucas. Baby. Sara. Sara. _Sara_.

How did he ever let her go? Looking back now, five months wasn't that long to wait. She was in love with him, that was clear, and mostly he was still in love with her. It had taken him three months to move on, or so he thought. But maybe, just maybe, he had never moved on at all.


	6. Same City, Separate Lives

**Just a quick shout out to all those reading and reviewing this story...I really appreciate it and i hope that you are all enjoying it :)**

April 2017

Sara breezed into the cafe on Thursday morning with a smile on her face. "Good morning," she greeted Felicity as she passed, noticing the strange look her friend's face, and she made a note to ask her about it. However, stepping into the kitchen, she put the bags she had been carrying down and did a double take before walking out to where Felicity was standing awkwardly.

"Felicity, do you want to tell me why Leonard Snart is in our kitchen having breakfast with Oliver?" she asked in a frantic whisper.

"He's the auditor," Felicity replied.

"And how long have you known about this?"

"Technically since last night. I mean, of course I knew we had an auditor coming, I just didn't know it was Leonard until he called last night and asked to stay with us because there was an issue with the hotel. If I had of known it was going to be Leonard, I would have requested someone else."

"Stop talking, Liss!" Sara said holding her hand up at her friend's face, trying to wrap her brain around the situation.

Leonard was here. Leonard who she used to be in love with. Leonard who was married. Leonard who was about to be a father.

She could handle this, she was a professional.

Turning on her heel, she marched back into the kitchen to find Oliver sitting there with an amused look on his face and Leonard drinking his coffee, his head buried in the morning paper.

"Ollie," she said in a warning tone, just daring him to say something.

"Morning, Sara," he simply replied, failing to hide the smile that appeared on his face.

Sara filled a mug for herself before taking a seat at the table next to Leonard, and Felicity made her way into the room and sat next to Oliver.

"Hey," she said, looking at him. He looked tired, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, but she decided not to say anything about it. "So Liss tells me you're the auditor. What happened to our normal guy?"

"He had to cancel at the last minute, family stuff, so the company sent me," Leonard said.

Sara could feel Oliver and Felicity watching her every move. She knew they were wondering if she was going to crack under the pressure.

"This is a great place you guys have here. You should be proud of it," Leonard said looking over at Felicity and then turning to look at Sara again before adding, "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Len," Felicity said.

Sara let out a breath and sipped her coffee again. She was thankful that Felicity had responded, as she had no idea what to say. "Thank you" was probably the right place to start, but it seemed Sara couldn't get the words out.

Just as Sara was about to say something, the back door to the cafe opened and Dylan walked in.

"Morning, friends," he said, "and person I don't know."

Leonard stood up and walked over to the other guy and stuck out his hand. "Leonard Snart," he said, waiting for the other guy to shake his hand.

Dylan froze, obviously recognizing the name. Before Sara could do anything, she watched, horrified, as Dylan punched Leonard square in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"Oh my gosh, Len, are you okay?" Felicity asked as she rushed to his side while Sara pulled Dylan through to the front of the cafe.

"What the hell was that?" Sara all but yelled at her boyfriend.

"I was defending your honor or whatever," Dylan said.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You know, he hurt you, and I just felt the need to punch him."

"I've never needed anyone to fight my battles for me Dylan. That's not something that is ever going to change."

"I know, and it's one of the reasons that I love you so much, Sara," he said. "But I just felt the need to punch him."

Sara froze. Had he just said he loved her? She was mentally trying to work out how long they had been dating, whether this a reasonable amount of time to exchange those three words. More importantly, how did she feel about him, and how did she feel about him with Leonard standing in the next room?

"Please say something, Sara," Dylan said.

She shook her head, but a smile appeared on her lips. "You said that you love me," she said.

"I did say that, didn't I, and it's true, Sara. I love you."

Sara bit her lip and then took a breath and said the words she had only ever said to one other person. "I love you, too."

Dylan leaned down slightly, and Sara stood on her toes, meeting him in the middle for a kiss. He deepened it as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up off the ground and swung her around the best he could in the cafe.

After a moment, he placed her back on the ground and she smiled up at him. "You should be getting to work. Those patients can't heal themselves."

"I should, and I guess you're going to need to open up pretty soon. I'll just have a coffee and another kiss to go."

Sara let out a laugh and pressed her lips softly to Dylan's again for a moment before pulling back and making her way around to the other side of the counter and pulling out the to-go cups.

With the coffee made, Sara watched as Dylan left, then made her way back to the kitchen where Leonard was holding ice to his jaw.

She hovered in the doorway while she watched Oliver kiss Felicity goodbye. He moved to shake Leonard's hand and nodded at his friend before moving over to Sara. Oliver gave her a small smile and kissed her forehead before he headed out the front of the cafe. Felicity, who must have suddenly remembered she had to tell her fiance something, ran after him, leaving Sara alone with Leonard.

Sara moved to sit next to him and took the ice off him, sighing. She readjusted the ice pack in the dish towel Felicity had wrapped it in and then placed it back on Leonard's jaw.

"He's not normally like that, I have no idea what happened," Sara whispered.

"It's okay," Leonard said, placing his hand over the one of hers holding the ice pack to his face.

"It's not. He shouldn't have done that. He's just protective."

"And why shouldn't he be? He loves you, and that's something I know a lot about. How could I fault him for wanting to protect you?"

Sara's heart melted a little with his words. She took the ice away from his jaw and placed it on the table, then took his hand in hers.

"I know that I said all those years ago that we couldn't be friends, but I think we can. We've both moved on, and I think that friends is a good place for us to be."

Leonard smiled at Sara, lifted her hand to his lips, and kissed it. "We have never just been friends, Sara," he told her. "I should get to work, though, and I believe you have a cafe to run."

Sara nodded as he released her hand, but she still had a lingering sensation from where he had kissed her.

The day passed slowly, and Sara was sure that it was because Leonard was there. He sat at the table in the kitchen, working, going over the books and financial statements. Sara knew it was his job that had brought him to town, and even though she and Dylan had shared those three little words that morning, part of her still wished that Leonard had come to town for her.

They had lived separate lives for so long now, Sara was finding it hard to remember the quiet moments she and Leonard had shared before the break up. She remembered her time in London, the feeling of being lost in a world she didn't recognize. There were days when she wondered if it was worth it, staying in London when Leonard was in Central City. She had dulled the pain with boys and booze, something that, looking back on, she wasn't exactly proud of, but it got her through, and that was the main thing.

 _The city was lit up in the distance as Sara sat in her apartment, looking out over the river. She was tired, drained, and overly emotional. At one point she thought she might have been pregnant, but soon enough she realised it was just the stress she was putting on her body that caused her to be late._

 _Looking down at the wine glass in her hand, she swirled it around, watching the red liquid slosh around the glass. Her mind was reeling from the memories she had been having of her and Leonard. It wasn't the memories themselves that had caused her to drink, but the reminder of the missing ring on her left hand._

 _She had loved looking down and seeing it there. Knowing she belonged to him, and him alone. Now who did she have? Herself. Maybe it was okay for her to belong to herself, but more than anything, she wanted Leonard. She hadn't been one to picture herself in a white dress or dancing among fairy lights in a garden or any other kind of wedding situation. Well, that was, until Leonard._

 _Now, instead of planning her wedding to the man she loved, she was half a world away sipping wine and wondering how her life got this way. Why couldn't he have waited for her? He said he still loved her, he said there was no one else. What made him give up on everything that they had wanted, everything that they had built together?_

 _Sara sipped her wine and looked over at her iPhone resting on the table. She could call him. The time difference sucked and she would probably get his voicemail. She could call him… but she didn't._

 _That day, the last day she saw him, she remembered thinking how cold the world was. How cruel it was to give her something so amazing, only to take it away again. Like their love for each other had meant nothing to him. Sara had tried to remember his eyes in that moment, no longer full of love and hope but instead empty and dull with hints of pain and sadness. She briefly wondered if that was what she had looked like as well. Sad, lost and completely broken._

 _A knock at the door caused Sara to return to reality, the reality where she had called some guy from her class for a booty call. Caleb was the opposite of Leonard: blonde, charismatic and British. HE was exactly the distraction that she needed._

 _As she lay in bed next to him later, though, it wasn't Caleb she was thinking of. Her mind was in another place completely. She was back in the villa in Italy. There was wine, and friends, and Leonard, and she was happy. The idea that she could be that way again pained her, because Sara knew that one day, eventually, she would find that one guy who completed her, like Leonard used to, and the thought of that was too much to bear._

 _Sara wasn't the only one filling her days with faceless, meaningless people. Leonard's choice hadn't been an easy one, but it was something he had needed for himself, as selfish as that may have been. He didn't need to be told that, but Laurel took the time to remind him every chance she got. He loved Laurel like his own sister, and he knew that she was just hurt and angry because of Sara, but Leonard was punishing himself enough without her needing to add to the pain._

 _Classes, study, work. It was the same routine. Leonard changed nothing. Well, except the nights where he would pick up the phone to call Sara and then chicken out. After what he did to her, he didn't deserve her. He'd heard his friends talking on a number of occasions about how he had destroyed her. It destroyed him, too, but this was his fault and his burden to bear._

 _He found himself looking at his mother's—Sara's—engagement ring less and less over time, until finally he placed it in the back of a drawer and didn't take it out again until he moved. It was that same month he started to move on, accept invites to parties and social events, and before he knew it, he was dating again._

 _Melissa had been, as Lisa would put it, an unpleasant surprise. She came from money, and status, and was nothing at all like Sara. Maybe that's what drew Leonard to her. If he couldn't have the girl he wanted, he would get as far away from the idea of her as possible._

 _The romance was like a whirlwind he got swept up in. it was as if the whole world had led him to that point, and the engagement had really only been the next step. It was what was expected of him. It was almost as if he didn't make the decision himself. Yes, he was in love with Melissa, he was sure of that. Or at least as sure as he could be when he didn't have thoughts of Sara in his head._

 _Shortly after his engagement, he had heard Sara had returned to Star City. He had wanted to see her but Oliver and Tommy had both advised him against it. Sara wasn't ready to see him, and he didn't have the right to uproot her life when he was engaged to someone else._

He took down some notes in the kitchen of the cafe. Maybe if he had of ignored them, he wouldn't be in this mess.

Being in Star City was both the best and the worst thing for him right now. It was making him realise that while his world was crumbling around him, Sara was happy.

She finally, from what Oliver had said, was moving on, and even her suggestion for friendship was proof of that. Leonard didn't want friendship, though. He wanted to turn back the clock and reset their lives. Maybe if he could do that, he could erase all the pain, all the heartbreak, and he could just be happy.

He worked away, stopping only to eat when Felicity brought him lunch, trying to not eavesdrop on the girl's conversation when the cafe was quiet. Unfortunately, that wasn't something he excelled at.

"So I know we had plans for dinner tonight with you and Dylan, but maybe tonight's not a great night for you to come over. You know, with Leonard staying at our place," Felicity said as they packed up for the night.

Sara sighed. "Probably not, but if we are going to be friends, they are going to have to get used to each other. I think it's fine if we still come. Maybe Len will get a punch in this time."

Felicity rolled her eyes at her friend. "You can't be serious about them fighting, Sare!"

"I'm not, not really at least, although I can't guarantee I wouldn't laugh at it."

"Okay, so it's decided then, you are still coming."

"Absolutely. Seven still good?"

"Perfect! You head out and I'll lock up. Then I'll see you at our place in a little while."

Sara hugged Felicity tightly and then headed through the kitchen and out to her car, waving at Leonard as she did.

When the buzzer sounded at the loft, Leonard felt his heart beat faster, even more so when Felicity yelled out to him to grab it for her.

Pulling the door open, he came face to face with Sara. She was wearing jeans with brown boots pulled over them and an off-the-shoulder, burnt orange sweater, and while she looked gorgeous, that wasn't the part that hit Leonard the most. She was alone.

"Hey." She greeted him with a smile and held up a bottle of wine, one they used to buy when they were together. "For old times' sake."

Sara walked into the loft and headed for the kitchen, leaving Leonard to shut the door and trail after her.

"Hey you," Felicity said, seeing her friend. "Where's your other half?"

"Dyl got called into an emergency surgery as we were about to head out the door," Sara explained, ignoring the part of her brain that was actually saying that her other half was already there.

Hearing the front door open again and Oliver's voice call out that he was home made Sara smile.

"In the kitchen, sweetie," she called back before bursting into laughter with Felicity.

"I didn't think that was my fiance," Oliver said as he rounded the corner and pulled Felicity towards him.

"But just as good right?" Sara joked.

"Not even close!" Oliver replied before leaning down and kissing Felicity softly, causing Sara to roll her eyes.

"Offended!" Sara said, walking to the cupboard and pulling out a couple of glasses for the bottle of wine she had brought.

"Aww, poor Sara," Oliver teased as Felicity broke the kiss and moved to stir the pasta sauce. "Do you need a hug?"

"Not from you, you jerk," she said, sticking her tongue out at him as he moved toward her. "No, no Ollie, don't!"

Sara put the glasses down and ran out of the kitchen with Oliver on her heels. She moved around the couch and then the dining table before Oliver swerved and caught her around the waist as she was heading for the couch again. She kicked at him, laughing as he hugged her to his chest.

"Meanie!" she said with a pout as he set her back down. "You can pour the wine now though, please and thank you."

Leonard had watched the whole scene play out in silence. This friendship he was watching, this happened while he was gone. While he was living apart from them. They all used to be friends, but there was a change, subtle, but he could feel it.

Dinner had gone off without a hitch, and as Leonard helped Felicity with the dishes, he watched Oliver and Sara outside on the balcony.

"They've always been close," Felicity said, as if reading his mind.

Leonard turned to look at her before looking back at Sara through the glass. "It doesn't bother you?" he asked.

"No, why would it?"

"Just how close they are."

"Maybe if I was the type of girl who panicked over those types of things it would. I'm not like that. Also I know Oliver loves me and Sara loves me. She would never do that to me. I don't think any girl has ever had to worry about Sara stealing their guy," Felicity said, resting her hand on Leonard's arm. "She's only ever had eyes for one guy."

As Felicity walked off to put some of the dishes away, Leonard thought about her words. Was it true Sara still had feelings for him? She seemed so happy with Dylan.

Noticing Oliver had disappeared, Leonard poured a couple of glasses of wine and headed out to the balcony.

"It's a nice night," he said, passing Sara a glass as he reached her.

"Thanks. Yeah, it is," she agreed with a smile, taking a small sip of her wine.

They stood in silence for a moment or two before Leonard looked across at her and spoke.

"Are you happy?"

"Yeah, I am," she answered. "Are you happy?"

"Knowing you're happy makes me happy," Leonard said.

The smile on his face didn't quite reach his eyes, and while Sara knew that he was hiding something, she decided not to push it. She watched as he looked back out over the city, and suddenly she felt as if nothing in the world had changed. Like this was how it should have always been. Sara turned back, as Leonard had, to look at the city lights and sipped her wine. She could tell he had turned his head to look at her again, but her sight remained fixed on the buildings in the distance.

"I still have the ring," he said, but so quietly that Sara wasn't sure she had heard him right. "I couldn't give it to anyone else, not when it should have been yours."

Deep down Sara had wondered if Leonard had given the ring to Melissa, but she had been afraid to ask anyone for fear of the what the answer would be. But here, now, like this, she wasn't sure that she had wanted to know.

"I'll never forget the day you found it. I had all these plans for where and when I'd propose, but you found it, and you looked so guilty and sorry at the same time that I knew that it was the perfect, non-perfect moment for us."

Sara bit her lip and closed her eyes. This wasn't how tonight was meant to go. Old friends catching up over a few drinks and having a laugh. Sure, she had the wine, but nothing about this conversation was lighthearted or fun. Where in the hell had Oliver and Felicity even gone?

Why was he bringing this up now? _He_ had broken it off, _he_ was the one now married, and yet it was _him_ who was bringing up their past.

"Why are you telling me this, Leonard?" Sara asked. "Why are you bringing up the past? Are you trying to hurt me?"

"What? No, of course not, Sara."

"You asked if I was happy, I say that I am, and then you bring up what was probably the happiest day of my life as a reminder that, what, I'm not as happy as I could have been?"

Her words broke his heart. She still considered the day the they got engaged to be the happiest day of her life. How was he to know that? But then how could he have been so stupid? Because of course it was. It was the happiest day of his life too.

Sara downed the rest of her wine and placed the glass on the table. "I should really get going," she told him, thinking that if she didn't get out of there soon she was going to do something stupid.

She moved past him, heading inside, when he caught her wrist. "Sara, wait, I'm sorry."

Turning back to look at him, she saw the pain in his eyes again, like he wanted to tell her something but couldn't. Then before she could stop herself, Sara had wrapped her arms around his neck and was pressing her lips to his. His lips were soft and exactly as she remembered. His hands moved to her waist as if nothing had ever changed, and as he returned the kiss, his lips gliding along her own, Sara felt like she was home.

Then a sudden realization hit her, and she pushed back from him. This wasn't her home, not anymore. She had just made cheater of both of them. She walked back inside and grabbed her bag, not giving Leonard another look. She would call Felicity later, but right now she needed to get out of there.


	7. Now and Then

May 2017

After his trip to Star City, you couldn't have paid Leonard to get back to Central City faster. Although, now he was wanting to be anywhere but where he was. Melissa had given birth two weeks ago, and from the day that Leonard got the news that he wasn't the father, he'd been holed up at Mick's place avoiding the world.

"Knock, knock," came a familiar voice through the door as Leonard remained glued to his spot on the couch.

Mick had gone to work, but ever since the news broke, he, Lisa, Barry, Kara and Caitlin had all taken shifts in staying with Leonard. He didn't care so much. The only rule was that they were not to tell anyone in Star City about what had happened.

Kara sat down on the couch across from him and gave him a small smile. "How are you doing today?" she asked.

Leonard shrugged. "About as good as yesterday. Sorry you got the babysitting job today."

Laughing, Kara adjusted her glasses and shook her head. "It's not like it's hard work being here," she said.

He watched as she pulled out her laptop and fired it up. This was normal for her and Caitlin. Whenever it was their turn to stay with him, they would bring work with them and just do it from the comfort of Mick's living room.

"You guys do know I'm fine, right? I'm not going to do anything stupid."

Kara looked over her laptop at him and raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure the last time you said that, you broke up with Sara. I'm not actually sure you know the definition of stupid, Len."

Leonard grumbles something at her and gets off the couch, walking toward the kitchen.

"I'll have a coffee while you're up," Kara calls out to him.

She can hear him using some choice words for her in the kitchen, but when he walks back in, he sets a coffee on the table beside her and gives her a smile and she knows that he will be okay.

At some point he must have fallen asleep, but when he woke up, Kara was returning with pizza and throwing a beer at him. Theirs was never a conventional friendship. In fact, while Kara was normally polite and kind to the point of being annoying, she didn't take any of Leonard's crap. She told him how it was, and he respected her for it. She reminded him of what a little sister should be like, sweet and kind and someone you knew you needed to protect, not at all like his actual sister, who could kick even his ass if needed.

"So I have to ask," Kara said, taking a bit of her pizza, "are you ever going to tell Sara what happened?"

Leonard took a drink of his beer and set it on the table. "I don't know," he admitted.

"Do you want my two cents?" she asked, and he nodded at her. "Tell Felicity. She'll make sure everyone there knows, and then you don't have to tell Sara yourself. Then you're not making it look like you're asking her to come back to you."

Leonard had already thought about this, of course. Sara was his everything, and now he knew exactly how she had felt when he had begun his relationship with Melissa. He loved that Kara knew exactly why he didn't want to tell Sara; the last thing he wanted was for her to feel like he only wanted her now because he was single again.

The high profile of Melissa's family had allowed the divorce to be processed faster than normal and to be kept out of the media, and for that, he was thankful. The last thing he wanted was his life flashed across the papers. He didn't need his friends to find out what had happened like that.

"I can call Liss or Oliver if you want." Kara offered.

Leaning his head back on the couch, he wondered whether Kara calling would be taking the easy way out, and then he realised that he didn't care.

"Yeah, okay," he told her. "Do it now, before I change my mind."

He watched Kara grab her phone and call Oliver. He knew she had called him because it was clear Felicity would still be at the cafe with Sara at this time of the day. He loved Kara for that reason; no one else would have thought about that.

Leonard listened as she explained to Oliver everything that had happened, and he heard his friend ask whether he was okay. He held his hand out, and Kara passed the phone to him.

"I'm fine," Leonard said,

"Len, man, I'm so sorry about everything."

"It's fine, really. I mean, it's not at all, but I just didn't want you guys to hear it from some other source. Can you let Felicity and everyone know?"

Oliver nodded on his end of the phone, hearing the unspoken name between Leonard's words before he realized Leonard couldn't see him, "Of course."

They spoke for a little while longer before hanging up, and he passed the phone back to Kara. She slid it into her bag and moved to sit next to her friend. Leonard wrapped his arm around the girl, and she rested her head on his shoulder, curling herself into his side.

"I know sorry doesn't mean a lot these days, but I'm sorry that you're going through this," she said in a quiet voice.

"It's not your fault, K. You were right before. Everyone has always been right. I should have never let Sara go."

"What do you think she'll do when she finds out?" Kara asked.

"I have no idea," he said honestly. "I can tell you what I'd like her to do, but what I want and what she wants might be two very different things."

"I don't think that you've ever been far from her thoughts, and this guy she's been seeing, I think she's only with him because she couldn't have you. That might sound harsh, but as far as I can tell, Sara has only ever been in love with you. Even if she says otherwise. I think you may find that what you want and what Sara wants are exactly the same thing."

Long after Kara had left and Mick had come home and gone to bed, Leonard was left thinking about his conversation with Kara. Was she right? Did Sara still have feelings for him beyond the kiss they had shared the month before?

He remembered their first kiss at the park, and the one when he had dropped her off at home, but it was the one at Tommy's party that he looked back on and thought, that was the moment he truly knew he was in love with her.

 _It was winter and nothing short of freezing out, but when Tommy's parents went away, it was the perfect excuse for a party. Leonard had to work, so showing up late was an inevitability. Walking into the party, he made his way through the crowds to the kitchen and got himself a beer before heading over to where Tommy and Oliver were stuck in a game of beer pong. Leaning against the wall, he sipped his beer and looked around the room. The music was so loud, he wondered how the cops hadn't been called yet, but all thoughts of that left his mind when he saw Sara dancing with Felicity and Laurel in the middle of the living room._

 _The red top and jeans she was wearing hugged her curves perfectly, and although Leonard took time to appreciate how his girlfriend looked, it was the smile on her face that spoke to him the most. She looked so carefree and happy, like nothing in the world was going to ruin her day._

 _As if she knew someone was watching her, Sara's movements slowed as she looked around the room and then saw him. Her smile got bigger, if that was possible, and she made her way over to him. He pulled her against himself, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly._

" _I didn't know you were here!"_

" _Just got here, work ran late," he said._

" _I'm glad," she told him before taking his beer from him and sipping it._

" _You looked like you were having fun with the girls."_

" _I was, but I could use some air. Come with me?"_

" _Always."_

 _Sara pulled him through the crowded house, grabbed her jacket, and then made her way out the back door. Slipping her jacket on, she breathed in the cool night air and turned to look up at Leonard with a smile._

" _I'm glad you're here," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning against his chest as they headed down the steps and off the back porch._

 _He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her head as they walked. The Merlyns' house sat on a huge estate with land for miles. It was then that Leonard realised that of course the cops hadn't been called, because even as they walked away from the house, the music faded._

 _They moved past the pool, and Sara took Leonard's hand in hers and led him to the pool house. She bent down and found the key under the pot, opened the door, and walked in, motioning for Leonard to follow. For having been all locked up, it wasn't overly cold in the room. Sara turned on the heating and the lamp in the corner, causing a dim light to shine through the darkness._

" _You have tomorrow off right?" she asked._

" _Yep, first day of winter break that I haven't worked," he answered, moving to sit on the couch._

 _Sara moved over to the couch and straddled his lap with a grin on her face. "So you don't have to be up early then?" she asked as she pressed her lips to his jawline._

 _He knew exactly where she was going with this. It had been over a week since they had spent more than a couple of hours alone together. He couldn't say that he was disappointed that this was where the night was heading. It wasn't that he was counting or anything, but it had been just as long since he'd been inside her._

 _Pushing the jacket from her shoulders, Leonard let it fall to the ground before pulling her into a kiss. One of his hands moved from its place on her waist up to tangle in her hair, and Sara moaned softly as he tugged gently on her curls. Leonard took this opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss as Sara ran her hand up his chest to rest at the back on his neck._

 _Sara broke the kiss, breathing heavily before moving her lips back to his jaw and down his neck. She ran her hand down his chest again and tugged on his shirt, letting him know she wanted the offending item of clothing removed. After pulling it off, Leonard stood up and carried Sara through to the bedroom, her heels dropping to the floor as they went._

 _He lay her down on the bed and toed off his own shoes before running his hands up her jean clad legs and up her body. Reaching the hem of her sweater, he pulled it off and tossed it to the floor before capturing her lips against with his._

 _Sara's body felt like it could spontaneously combust at any point; it was as if her heart was beating a hundred miles an hour in her chest. It wasn't until she was laying naked next to him later that she felt a sense of calm wash over her. Well, that had pretty much happened after her release, but this was a different kind of calm. It was as if her mind somehow knew what was coming._

 _She watched him sleep and wondered what he was dreaming about. Was it them? And if so, what exactly about them? Or was it just a peaceful, dreamless sleep?_

 _After a little while, his eyes fluttered open, and Leonard found Sara watching him and smiled at her._

" _I love you," he whispered into the quiet of the room._

 _A smile automatically appeared on Sara's face upon hearing him say those words for the first time. Leonard pulled her to him, and Sara tangled her legs with his as she ran her fingers up his chest to rest on his shoulder._

" _I love you too," she told him, leaning in and kissing him soft and slow, like she wanted to remember this for the rest of her life._

"Earth to Sara! Are you listening to me?" Felicity said loudly.

"What?" Sara asked, being brought back to reality.

"I asked where you were going on your date tonight," Felicity repeated.

"Oh, we're going to that French place on Fifth," Sara said.

"Very romantic! But hey, what had you so lost in your own thoughts?"

Sara gave a shrug and shook her head. "It was nothing. I don't really even remember."

"Sure you don't," Felicity said with a knowing smile, causing Sara to laugh.

"Just old memories, that's all."

"Well, why don't you go home and get ready for your date, and I'll close up tonight?" Felicity offered.

Sara smiled at her best friend and moved over to hug her. "You're the best, you know that?"

Grabbing her things, Sara headed out into the sunshine with a smile on her face. The sun warmed her as she got in her car and drove the few blocks to her place, singing along with the radio as she drove. Arriving at her apartment, she filled a bath and sunk herself into it. She had no idea where her earlier memory had come from, but ever since she had kissed Leonard a month ago, she was having more and more memories of times when they were together.

She guessed it didn't help that yesterday Felicity told her that his marriage had broken up and the baby wasn't his. Sara had picked up her phone so many times in the last 24 hours to call him; she looked up his number and stared at it on the screen but never ended up pressing the dial button.

Sara had finally learned how to be happy without him, and it wasn't fair to Dylan to keep going back to Leonard, or at least to the memories of him. But the more she tried to stop thinking about Leonard, the more she thought about him. It didn't matter where she was or what she was doing: he appeared in her mind. It was like this reminder that he was single, that they could be together. But things hadn't worked out between them before, so why chance it now, now that she was content with her life?

Getting out of the tub, she pulled the plug and sighed as she watched the water swirl around and down the drain. It reminded her of her life, the ever-spinning cycle of despair.

Shaking her head, she slapped her cheek and knocked herself away from the negative thoughts and went and got changed.

By the time Dylan picked her up, she looked as if she could have been attending a movie premier. Dressed in a one-shoulder, off-white lace dress, her hair was curled and pinned up, and her makeup was done perfectly.

Dinner had been amazing. Sara had wanted to try the French restaurant since it had opened, but she just hadn't had the chance to do so on her own. After dinner, Dylan suggested a walk by the beach, and since the weather was starting to heat up with summer around the corner, Sara couldn't help but agree.

There was something about this time of year that made her happy. As they walked, Sara tried to be with Dylan in the moment, but her mind kept drifting to Leonard. She wondered what he was doing and how he was. She wondered whether she should have called him.

Sara felt Dylan slip his hand into hers, and she leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked. Dylan stopped at a lookout point on the beach and turned to look at her with a smile.

"You know, I don't think I've ever been to a place so nice with a girl as gorgeous as you."

Sara shook her head with a laugh at his words and leaned up to kiss him before he pulled back.

"I'm serious, Sara. I know that we've only known each other for a couple of months, but I've never felt like this about anyone before. I wake up and look forward to seeing you, and when I don't see you, it's like the worst day. I'm so completely in love with you. I love everything about you. You amaze me every single day, and I think that when you know, you just know."

Sara honestly had no idea where his speech was going, but it was as if he was leading up to something big, something life changing. It should have hit her sooner, but it didn't until Dylan dropped to his knee in front of her and pulled out a diamond ring.

"Sara Lance, will you marry me?"


	8. 747s and Golden Canaries

June 2017

She never pictured her life like this. She never thought she would get so into wedding planning. Sara sat in the cafe's kitchen surrounded by bridal magazines. The dresses, the cake, the flowers, the location: so many decisions, and yet her mind drifted to Leonard. When they had gotten engaged, she hadn't had to go through all of this. Well, she would have, but Sara hadn't gotten around to picking a date, let alone a dress.

This wedding though, this would be different because every time that she thought about it, all she could think about was true love and how perfect the day would be.

"Did you find your dress yet?" Felicity asked, walking into the kitchen Friday morning before they opened.

"I think I did! I'm going to go to the store tonight to try it on. Laurel is going to meet me there. Do you want to come?"

"Absolutely! I want to be able to say that I was one of the first people to see you in your dress."

"Yay! I'm so excited. I should call Thea, too, and we can snap pics to Lisa, Kara, and Cait and get their thoughts. I wish they could be here, too."

"They'll all be here soon enough," Felicity said with a smile. "Best friends stick together no matter what."

Sara closed one of the magazines and pulled it toward her and held it to her chest. She sighed and bit her lip as Felicity finally stopped moving around the kitchen and sat down across from her.

"Have you spoken to Len recently?" she asked her friend.

"Oliver spoke to him last night," Felicity said, tracing lines in the wood on the table. "He said he sounds okay, just trying to get past it all."

"I've thought about calling him so many times, I just... I have no idea what to say," Sara admitted.

"He left today," Felicity said.

"What?"

"He quit his job and decided to go traveling. Oliver said he talked about going back to the place he was happiest."

Sara was lost for words; just quitting his job and leaving wasn't the Leonard she knew, but then again, how well did she really know him these days?

"I can't believe he didn't tell me," she finally said.

Felicity had to laugh. "Why? And more importantly, when? Should he have told you when he saw you were happy with Dylan? Or how about when Dylan was proposing?"

Sara rolled her eyes. "I don't know, okay? I just think maybe I could have helped."

"He didn't want to ruin your happiness, Sare. He knew about the baby not being his - or at least that it was a huge possibility - when he was here, but he saw how happy you were, and he chose not to say anything."

"He's an idiot" Sara mumbled.

Felicity shook her head and gave another laugh. "He's an idiot who is still in love with you, but like always, he has put you and your happiness first."

"Okay, oh wise one, tell me this: how was breaking up with me in the first place putting my happiness first?"

"I don't know," Felicity sighed. "I think he thought he was holding you back."

"Like I said, he's an idiot!"

"But you love him."

Sara stacked the magazines into a pile and sighed, not bothering to respond to Felicity as she made her way to the front of the cafe and opened up for the day.

The day was busy, so both Sara and Felicity were glad when they closed up early. They had already arranged with Laurel and Thea to meet at the dress shop a have a girls night. Felicity had booked a restaurant on her lunch break, and Sara had called up to put the dress on hold.

As Sara locked the front door to the cafe, she gave a sigh of relief.

"All done for another day."

"Yeah, I've been thinking we really should get some help in. Thea is a great fill in when she can, but we are lucky neither of us has been sick."

"I think you're right. We can put a sign up next week and see what happens," Sara agreed.

Felicity looped her arm through Sara's as they walked toward the dress store at the end of the block.

"I'm so excited to see you in your dress!"

"It could look terrible!"

"It won't. I'm sure you'll look stunning," Felicity said, pushing open the door to the dress shop.

"Felicity, Sara, nice to see you both!" the shop assistant said as they walked in. "I've put the dress you requested in the fitting room Sara."

"Thanks, Cassie."

Felicity took a seat on one of the over-stuffed armchairs and flicked through her phone as Sara went to get changed. The door to the store opened, and Felicity turned to see her friends walk in.

She let out an excited scream and got up to hug them. "I'm so glad you are here!"

Sara zipped up the dress and pulled her wavy hair over one shoulder smiling at herself in the mirror. The dress itself was gold, strapless, with a sweetheart neckline and a slit that came to halfway up her thigh. The bodice of the dress was covered with sequins and sparkles, and Sara couldn't help but think just how perfectly it fit her. She slipped on the strappy gold heels she had purchased earlier that week and then made her way out to the the main room.

"Holy hell! Looking hot, Sare," a familiar voice said with a whistle.

Sara was shocked, to say the least, when she saw not only a grinning Felicity, Laurel, and Thea, but also Kara, Caitlin, and Lisa sitting in front of her.

"Surprise!" Kara said smiling.

Sara put her hands to her mouth, letting out a happy squeal, bouncing on her toes, before clapping her hands uncharacteristically.

The three girls wrapped her into a hug, and Sara knew that she wouldn't lose the smile on her face if she tried.

"You look stunning!" Caitlin said. "I can't believe you finally found a dress!"

"She _would_ be the last of my attendants to find a dress, but it was worth the wait. It's perfect!" Felicity said.

"Totally my right as maid of honor to wait till I found something to almost outdo the bride," Sara said as she did a twirl and Felicity rolled her eyes.

"So did you all know that they were coming?" Sara asked the Star City residents and watched them all nod at her.

"We wanted it to be a surprise," Lisa said.

"Well, I am surprised, so good job!" she said, hugging the girl to her side. "Let me go get changed and we can all go out."

Sara made her way back into the fitting room and changed quickly back into her jeans and shirt from earlier. She hung the dress back on the hanger and made her way out to the front and handed it to Cassie.

"This is the one, for sure," she told the girl with a smile. "Can you just put it with Felicity's and I can and pick it up later?"

Cassie at the desk nodded at her, and Sara said goodbye before turning back to her friends with a grin.

"Okay, let's get out of here!" she said, sliding her jacket on and grabbing her bag.

There was something about being out with those girls that made everything that she had been dealing with so much easier. Sara was sitting in a corner booth watching her friends on the dance floor. She had just come back to the table for a drink when Kara slid in next to her.

"I haven't had this much fun in so long," Kara said with a grin.

"Me either. I'm so glad that you guys are all here."

"So we heard that you got proposed to. Not many people can say that they have been proposed to twice and never had a wedding."

Sara watched as Kara sipped her drink, and she shook her head.

"Nope, not many people can say that. Engaged once, proposed to twice, never married. Surely it's a record or something."

"So how come you aren't wearing a ring and trying on wedding dresses?" Kara asked.

Sara sipped her own drink and sighed. "I couldn't marry Dylan; it was too soon, too quick. We hadn't been dating that long, and honestly, it was fun, he was sweet, maybe perfect even, but in the end he wasn't the guy for me."

"What are we talking about?" Lisa asked as she slid into the booth across from them.

"I just asked Sara why she wasn't wearing an engagement ring," Kara said.

"Oh…"

Lisa looked down at the table awkwardly and Sara let out a laugh, a real laugh, one that she hadn't heard from herself in a while.

"It's fine Leis. I was just saying that in the end, it came down to Dylan not being the guy for me. I couldn't very well marry him when I wasn't one hundred percent sure I was in love with him."

"I thought you did love him?" Lisa asked.

"I thought I did, too. Now, though, I think maybe I loved him for who he was, but that I wasn't _in_ love with him, and that wasn't fair to him. He needed to find someone who loved him as much as he loved me. I'm just sorry that it took him proposing for me to realize that it was never going to work out."

Lisa reached across the table and squeezed Sara's hand as Kara wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Sara smiled across the table at Lisa as the others turned up at the booth.

"So I think the last time we were all together was for the opening weekend of Canary Cafe, and that was a year ago today," Felicity said.

Sara couldn't believe she had forgotten that they had been open a year. She'd planned to get Felicity a gift for their one year anniversary, and she had forgotten.

"You're right. Oh my gosh, I totally forgot," Sara said. "But I guess that makes it a perfect time for you all to be here. I wanna make a toast: to the cafe, to Felicity for being the best business partner ever, to us, this squad right here. We have been through so much together over the years; there's been laughter, tears, adventure, and heartache, awesome trips away and even better girls nights, and I couldn't ask for a better group of friends to have beside me every step of the way. As we all know, next month, Felicity's getting married, the first of us to become a married woman. I know I speak for all of us when I say we couldn't be happier for our best friend. You have found your happily ever after, which is all you ever wanted, and we are so glad Ollie is the guy for you. He is a really lucky guy to have a girl as special as you. So here's to the best friends and friendship ever, here's to us, and here's to Felicity; we wish you all the happiness in the world."

As everyone clinked their glasses and took sips of their drinks, Sara looked across at Felicity, who was wiping tears from her eyes and mouthing a _thank you_ at her. The girls had really been through alot together, but Felicity was right: although they had seen each other over the last year, they hadn't all been together since the opening of the cafe. Sara smiled as she thought back on the memories of their opening weekend. Everyone had been there for them. Everyone but Leonard.

 _The noise in her apartment was much more than normal for a Saturday morning. She was pouring coffee. Mick was cooking bacon, very much supervised by Caitlin, and Sara couldn't help but wonder when the two of them would realize that they both still had feelings for each other. Lisa was sitting at the counter looking like she was only half awake, and Barry and Kara were setting the table._

" _We could have just eaten at the cafe once you opened," Lisa pouted. "Why did we all have to be up at four?"_

" _I did tell you last night that you could have slept in and come down to the cafe later," Sara said, placing a mug of coffee in front of the girl._

" _Don't pay attention to her, Blondie. Lisa would have been pissed off at herself later if she missed this," Mick said with a mouth full as he tested the bacon._

" _He's right, I would have been." Lisa chimed in with shrug._

 _With breakfast eaten, they headed down to the cafe, and as the group walked up to the door, they were met by Felicity, Oliver, Tommy, Roy, Thea, Laurel, Lyla, and Diggle, along with Donna and Quentin._

" _Baby, I'm so proud of you," Quentin said as he pulled Sara into a hug._

" _Thanks, Dad. What's with the ribbon?"_

" _Donna thought that you and Felicity should cut a ribbon like when they open all those fancy places," he explained._

 _Sara pulled her stepmother into a hug as a grateful tear rolled down her cheek. "Thank you. I'm so glad that you and my dad got married," she whispered to the older woman before pulling back with a smile on her face._

 _Donna smiled and took Sara's hands in hers, squeezing them softly. "You're welcome."_

" _Are you ready?" Oliver asked, holding out a pair of scissors._

 _Sara grinned at him, moved to where he and Felicity were standing, and took them from him._

" _As ready as I'll ever be."_

 _Sara took a deep breath as she and Felicity smiled for a couple of photos before they cut through the red ribbon Donna had placed at the entrance of the cafe. She turned to her friend and hugged her tightly._

" _We did it!" she exclaimed with a huge smile, one she was sure matched the one on Felicity's face._

" _Canary Cafe is finally open," Felicity said as she hugged Sara again._

 _They posed for photos inside and outside the cafe as per their friend's requests. Quentin took a photo of the whole group smiling in the doorway, and then it was go time. Everyone worked together. Sara was in the kitchen giving directions to Lisa, Caitlin, Kara, and Laurel. Mick, Barry, and Tommy were assigned to dishes. Felicity and Thea worked on taking orders at the counter, while Oliver and Roy made coffees. Donna, Quentin, Diggle and Lyla pitched in wherever was needed._

 _It was a crazy day, but in the end, when they were all back at Oliver and Felicity's apartment eating pizza, drinking, and looking through the photos, Sara couldn't help but think just how lucky she was to have the friends she did. She sipped her wine, glanced around the room, and thought about Leonard. He should have been there, too._

" _Hey, Blondie, what are you thinking about?" Mick asked as he turned up beside her and leaned against the wall._

" _Leonard," she said with a sigh, looking over at Mick before handing him one of the photos of the whole group outside the cafe. "He is the only thing missing from that photo."_

 _Mick looked down at it and let out a breath. "He's my best friend, but he's an idiot," he said before asking if he could keep the photo._

" _Sure," Sara said with a grin as he stuffed it into his pocket, "but you're just as much of an idiot as he is, or you will be if you don't pull your head out of your ass and get back with Cait."_

 _Mick grumbled something, and Sara shook her head at him._

" _She still loves you, too. You just have to man up and do something."_

" _Fine, I will!"_

 _Sara watched as Mick walked across the room and pulled Caitlin from her conversation with Thea and into a kiss. Sara couldn't help but cheer with the rest of the room, Tommy wolf-whistling and Oliver saying something about it taking long enough._

 _She couldn't help but agree. She had always loved the two of them together. After all, back in college it had been the four of them: Mick, Cait, her and Leonard. So much had changed since then, but she was glad that at least Mick and Cait had learned from her and Leonard's mistakes. Sara picked up another photo and smiled at it. Life sure changed without her consent, that was certain, but no matter what happened, she knew she had friends who would be with her through anything._

Something fell out of the book he had stolen from Mick's place, and he leaned down to pick it up. Leonard sighed as he looked at the photo. It was from the day Felicity and Sara had opened the cafe. It was the same one he had seen on the wall at the cafe. He hadn't gotten a chance to study it then without being seen, but now that he had Mick's copy, he couldn't help but stare at his friends grinning back at him.

Sara's face stood out, pure joy at her accomplishment. He couldn't help but be proud of her and everything she had achieved. She was never far from his thoughts these days, and how could she be, he thought as he sat on the same beach in Italy where he had proposed to her.

He had overheard the girls talking about Sara's proposal before he left on his trip, and that pretty much confirmed that he needed to get out of town. He did think that the guy could have come up with a different location to the beach, kind of cheapened his proposal by using a beach again.

Leonard wondered if she was out looking for wedding dresses, wondered if she would have Felicity as her maid of honor or Laurel. He wasn't one to wish bad fortune on anyone—well maybe Melissa and Lucas—but Dylan wasn't the guy for Sara. Leonard knew this, he knew it because he was sure he was the only guy who could make Sara happy.

He looked out at the water and then back at the photo. He had ruined the best thing that ever happened to him, and his time in Star City, along with the photo, was proof of that. He knew he would have to return for Oliver and Felicity's wedding, but maybe then he would move, move far away, away from having to see Sara and be reminded of how happy she was without him.

Picking up his phone, he turned it on, and Leonard knew that this call was going to cost more than it should on a few different levels. Dialing an all too familiar number, he waited for her to answer.

"This is Sara. You know what to do," came her recorded voice, and Leonard sighed.

"Hey, it's me. I've sure by now Felicity and Oliver have told you about what happened. I wanted to call and tell you so many times, but when I saw how happy you were with Dylan, I knew that I couldn't burden you with my problems. I heard the girls talking about his proposal, so I guess congratulations are in order. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry for everything that happened. It might be a coward's way out to do this over the phone, but as I sit on the beach where we got engaged, I just wanted you to know that I know how stupid I have been, and that although it may not have seemed like it... I never stopped loving you, Sara, and I never will. All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy, Sara, and if that is with Dylan, then I wish you all the happiness in the world."

Hanging up the phone, he switched it off again and tucked it back into his pocket. It had been harder than he thought, leaving a message for Sara, but he knew it was something that he had to do, and he had to do it before he returned to Star City and saw her again.


	9. Wedding Bells and Karaoke

July 2017

Leonard had returned from his travels just in time for Oliver's bachelor party. Something that he swore Tommy and Mick had been looking forward to more than anyone else. The night itself had been fine, although he was sure Laurel and Caitlin wouldn't be impressed by some of Tommy and Mick's choices. Then again, what happened there, stayed there, and was never to be discussed again.

He had attended the bachelor party and then headed back to Central City as to avoid Sara until absolutely necessary. She had called a number of times since he had been back, but he didn't answer any of them. He deleted her messages before even listening to them, and he spoke to no one about it.

Leonard knew that Sara had spoken to Kara about it though. His friend had been over helping him set up his new place and had questioned him about it. Leonard had shrugged at her, and Kara had shaken her head, muttering something about him being the dumbest person ever.

Oliver and Felicity's wedding came around more quickly than he would have liked, but as promised, he went back to Star City to witness some of his best friends tie the knot.

From his place at the front of the church with the rest of the guys, he could see his sister whispering something to Cisco. Leonard knew by the look on Cisco's face that whatever it was wasn't PG-13. He shook his head. Lisa and Cisco were a new development since he went away, but from what he could tell, Lisa was happy, and that was all that mattered.

The music started up, and he found himself smiling as he watched Thea make her way down the aisle. Three more girls and then Sara. Leonard couldn't help but think that coming here was a bad idea. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to see her happy with someone else.

Laurel. Lyla. Caitlin. His heart was pounding so hard, anyone would have thought it was _his_ wedding. The doors opened again, and there in gold was Sara. It was as if he were seeing her for the first time, and suddenly he hated that their timing was off. So many mistakes had led them to this moment. He wasn't hers. His relationship ended, and she had already begun one with someone else.

As her eyes met his, he couldn't help but be transported back in time, to memories of their senior prom. That night she had worn emerald green, but the top had been sheer with cream beading and crystals over it. The part Leonard remember the most was the back of the dress.

" _Your dress is so annoying," Leonard mumbled to his girlfriend as they headed into the prom. "I mean don't get me wrong. You are the most gorgeous girl in the room right now, but all those buttons, they are going to be a pain in the ass to undo later."_

 _Sara shook her head and laughed at him. "Really charming Len," she said sarcastically before pressing a kiss to his cheek, "but I'm sure you'll work it out. If you want me out of it, that is."_

 _He watched as she walked off to where Felicity and Oliver were standing, catching her look over her shoulder at him with a smirk. She would be the death of him, he was sure of it._

 _The evening was going well, and it didn't seem to matter if he and Sara got separated, his eyes always found her across the room. She was so good at working a crowd, and any group she was with was practically eating out of the palm of her hand._

 _She was standing chatting to Felicity when Kip Moore's voice came through the speakers, and he remembered how much she had told him she liked the song. Making his way over to Sara he wrapped his arms around her from behind._

" _Hey Pretty Girl, can I have this dance?" he whispered into her ear, and she nodded, turning as he took her hand and led her to the dance floor._

" _I can't believe you remembered that I liked this song."_

" _I remember everything that you tell me, Sara."_

" _I love you," Sara said, leaning up and kissing him softly for a moment before pulling back._

 _They swayed slowly to the song, and Leonard sung the words softly into her ear as Sara smiled against his chest._

 _As the song finished, she kissed him again before biting her lip and looking up at him._

" _Do you wanna get out of here?" she asked._

" _Like you wouldn't believe," he answered. "I'll meet you by the door."_

 _He watched as Sara went and spoke to Felicity for a moment, grabbed her bag from the table, and then made her way over to the door. Taking Leonard's hand, she let him lead her out to his car, and they headed to their spot at the lake._

He must have been doing things on autopilot, because he was brought out of his memory to the guests cheering as Oliver and Felicity kissed. Leonard tried to remember when Felicity walked down the aisle or when, exactly, he turned to watch the ceremony, but he couldn't. Before he knew it, he was linking arms with Thea, and they were heading back down the aisle.

"How's my favorite idiot doing?" Thea asked him as they walked, and he had to muffle a laugh.

"You'll have to ask Mick yourself. I haven't spoken to him since this morning," Leonard replied.

Thea hit him on the arm and smiled at him, almost sadly. "I'm serious, how are you doing?"

"I guess I've been better, but then I guess I know that I made stupid decisions in my life that led me to this point in my life."

"Things can change in the blink of an eye, just remember that," Thea said, leaning up and kissing Leonard on the cheek, "and I'm really glad that you're here. It's been too long."

"I'll second that!" Roy said as he joined them and shook Leonard's hand.

"I know. It's just been a hard couple of months. Hard couple of years really."

"Well, you know it doesn't have to be this way, right—"

"You could come and visit us more often!" Thea said, cutting Roy off.

Leonard raised an eyebrow at them and shrugged. "You're right, I could."

They made their way out to the gardens for photos, and in a way only Felicity could, she took over the photographer's ideas and placed everyone where she wanted them to be. She was about as subtle as a wrecking ball through a brick wall.

"Hey," Sara said softly. "It's good to see you again."

Leonard nodded at her with a small smile. He could have said anything, but he had no words. He watched as she shook her head sadly but then turned and smiled for the photo. He _needed_ to say something, anything, but what?

"You look gorgeous, Sara," he finally said with a smile.

"Thanks, Len."

There was something about the way she called him Len that made his heart beat a little faster. As if he were back in high school and in love. Well, he may not have been in high school, but he _was_ still in love with her.

After all the photos were taken, the wedding party headed inside and mingled with the other guests. Leonard's eyes kept finding Sara across the room, and it was once more a reminder of their prom.

"Seriously, Bro, honestly, stop making eyes at her and go talk to her."

"It's not that easy, Lisa."

"Sure it is. You go over there and say, 'Sara, I'm still madly in love with you, and what do you say we do this same thing next month?'"

"I'm gonna ignore you now," Leonard said, walking off toward the bar; he was in need of something strong.

Oliver and Felicity had shared their first dance as husband and wife, and the other couples in the room had joined them on the dance floor.

Sara was nursing a glass of wine when a familiar song came through the speakers from the DJ. She looked across and saw Felicity grinning at her like a madwoman. She had planned this, and short of dying on the spot, Sara knew there was no getting out of it.

"I believe this is our song, Pretty Girl," Leonard said, holding his hand out to her. "That, and it's clear Felicity wants us to dance."

She placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor. "Well, she is the only one I know who would pick our prom song and have us dance. I doubt Ollie has any idea."

"He was there, although I think that you're probably right," Leonard said as they started dancing. "Where's Dylan?"

"You never returned my calls," Sara said as an answer.

"I know, I wasn't sure that I could talk to you after everything."

"Yet you were fine leaving me that voicemail and then switching your phone off for two weeks."

"It wasn't fair, I know that—"

"No, you're right, it wasn't fair!" she said, cutting him off, "You left a message thinking you had information that you didn't."

"Like what?"

"You asked where Dylan was before. He's not here. If you had of returned any one of my calls, you'd know that after I turned down his proposal, that was the end of the relationship. I mean who continues to date someone that won't marry them?" Sara took a step back from Leonard. "Thanks for the dance."

She made her way off the dance floor and out the side door. Leonard looked across at Felicity, who gave him a death stare. It basically said to follow Sara, or that's exactly what he would be: dead.

"Sara, wait!" he called as he closed the door behind him.

"What do you want, Len?"

"Why did you turn down Dylan's proposal?"

"Why does it matter?" she asked, throwing her hands up in the air.

"It just does."

"I couldn't marry him because I wasn't one hundred percent sure that I was in love with him."

"You seemed pretty happy together when I was last here. What could possibly have been wrong?"

"He wasn't you! Is that what you want to hear?" she all but yelled at him.

"Sara—"

"Just don't, okay?" She cut him off again. "I can't do this with you, not right now. I have to go back in there and give a speech about love and happiness for my best friend, so I can't do this."

Sara wiped a tear from her cheek before heading back inside and straight to the bathroom to fix her makeup.

She walked back into the reception hall as dessert was being served. As she slid into her seat next to Felicity, she watched Tommy approach the microphone for his best man's speech.

As he spoke about trips they had all taken, and how they had gotten to watch Oliver and Felicity fall in love, Sara got lost in old memories of their spring break trip from senior year.

" _I'm so in love with him!" Felicity declared to the girls as they sat on the huge porch of the Queens' log cabin._

" _We know, mostly because you tell us all the time," Lisa deadpanned, rolling her eyes._

" _Oh shh Leis," Sara said. "One day, you'll find someone who makes you feel the same way."_

" _Easy for you to say! We all know how happy you are too," she grumbled. "You and my brother are sickening. I have no doubt that he'll give you mom's ring one of these days."_

 _Sara smiled and looked down at her left hand. She knew exactly what ring Lisa was talking about, and every part of her wanted to wear that ring. She looked out at the guys playing basketball on the court and smiled when she caught Leonard's eye. Sara wasn't going to make declarations like Felicity, but she was very much in love with Leonard._

 _After the guys were cleaned up from their game and they had all had dinner, Thea suggested that they head to the bar. It was karaoke night, and she figured it would be a bit of fun._

 _Sara had protested, but in the end she was overruled and not only ended up at the bar with everyone, but she also ended up singing on stage, multiple times._

 _Leonard had helped a slightly tipsy Sara through the house later that night. While they were walking up the stairs, she had told him that she loved him a couple of times. Once in their room, it didn't take her long to sober up and fall into bed with him, showing him just how much she loved him._

Sara was brought back to reality by the clapping around her. She realized that Tommy had finished his speech and it was her turn. Standing and making her way to the microphone, she smiled at Tommy and then turned to look at Felicity and Oliver.

"I can't believe this day has finally come! It feels like yesterday that I introduced Felicity to Oliver at a party Tommy was throwing. Of course, that was actually our freshman year of high school, but even back then, I could tell that these two were made for each other. Felicity and I have been friends for just about as long as I can remember, and then of course we became sisters when my dad married her mom. She, Laurel, and I have been through so much together, and I know I speak for Laurel as well when I say that we couldn't be happier for her that she has found Oliver. When I look at them, I see true love. Theirs is a love that knows no bounds. They share the good times and bad with each other. They support each other through those times. They trust each other. They respect each other. They truly are each other's better half, because they complete each other. I can't think of anyone else in the world who is more perfect for Felicity than Oliver, and I can't think of anyone in the world who would love Oliver more than Felicity does. Oliver, you have married the best girl you could have. Felicity, you married the man of your dreams. Not many people in this world are as lucky as you. Remember to say I love you every day, never go to bed mad, and always put each other first. So to my best friend and to the only other person who call can her their best friend, thank you for reminding me that true love exists. I wish you both all the happiness it the world; no one deserves it more. To Oliver and Felicity," she finished, raising her glass before sipping it and moving back to her place next to Felicity, only to be wrapped in a hug by her best friend.

"I love you so much," Felicity said.

"I love you too, Liss," Sara said, returning the hug and smiling at Oliver over her friend's shoulder.

The emcee announced that it was time for Felicity to throw the bouquet, and Sara felt herself being pulled along by her friend to stand with the rest of the unmarried girls.

"This is a stupid tradition, and I want no part of it," she said as Felicity directed her where to stand.

"It's my wedding, so shut up and do want you're told!"

Sara sighed as she stood next to Kara and waited for Felicity to toss the flowers over her head. Instead, what happened was something she didn't see coming, although she probably should have. Felicity turned at her waist, and instead of throwing the flowers over her head, she threw them straight to Sara.

The room cheered and laughed, and even Sara couldn't hold back a smile at her best friend's antics. She moved across to Felicity and hugged her tightly.

"You are crazy, my best friend!"

"But you love me anyway," Felicity replied.

It wasn't a lie, Sara loved her. Felicity was her best friend, and nothing would ever change that. As they made an archway to say goodbye to the bride and groom, Sara placed herself with Thea and Laurel, as close to the car as possible. She wanted to be the last one to say goodbye.

"Take care of my best friend, Ollie!" she said as she hugged him before turning to hug Felicity.

She and Laurel pulled the bride into a group hug, a few tears of happiness escaping down Sara's cheeks.

"We love you, Sis." Laurel said, kissing Felicity on the cheek. "Have fun."

"I will! Thank you for everything. I couldn't have done this without you."

"It was our pleasure! We love you," Sara said, hugging the girl again before pulling back.

She held Laurel and Thea's hands as they watched Oliver and Felicity get into the car and drive off.

"I say we all go out!" Thea proposed. "The karaoke place down the street will still be open."

"No, we are not doing that again!" Sara protested.

"Oh come on, Sara, live a little," she heard her sister say, and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but you guys are buying the first round" she said as she walked inside to grab her things.

It turned out Thea had invited their whole squad, and while the evening had been slightly awkward earlier, Sara wasn't worried about the rest of the evening.

Arriving at the bar, Thea headed for the karaoke book, Sara made her way to get drinks, and everyone else secured a booth and some tables by the stage.

"I thought first round was on us?" Laurel said as she joined Sara at the bar.

"I know I said that, but I figured why not," Sara replied with a shrug as she ordered a couple of bottles of wine and a few pitchers of beer.

Laurel helped Sara carry the drinks to the tables and set them down. Sara busied herself by pouring the wine for Kara, Laurel, Caitlin, and herself, knowing that Lisa and Thea would opt to drink beer.

"So the good news is that there is karaoke," Thea said with what Sara would describe as a crazy grin. "Bad news is, it's country night."

Almost everyone at the table groaned, and Caitlin let out a laugh. "Oh, this will be amazing!"

Mick looked at Caitlin like she had grown a second head, and she shrugged at him before telling him he could go first.

Sara watched as he downed a beer and made his way over to the song book. She handed a glass of wine to Kara, then sat down next to the girl.

"This should be interesting," Sara said.

"I can't wait to see what he comes up with." Kara laughed.

She sipped her wine as Mick took the stage and started singing a Jason Aldean song. The other patrons at the bar cheered as he worked the crowd before focusing on Caitlin and singing the song straight to her. As he sung, _The way you look at me baby, I don't know if we're even gonna make it to the party,_ had Caitlin smirking at him. Sara was so happy that they had gotten back together, and she let herself wonder whether they would be the next to get married.

She looked across at Leonard briefly before turning back to the stage. Country music was not a good option, not when trying to keep emotions in check.

They had been there for at least an hour, and another couple of rounds had been purchased. Sara had to admit that she was actually having a good time. Laurel had broken everyone's hearts choosing to sing _I Wonder_ , Tommy and Roy had done _Cruise_ , Kara and Barry had been sickly sweet singing _Just a Kiss_ and Thea pulled out _Blank Space,_ since they had all of Taylor's songs available for the night.

 _Blank Space_ had hit a little too close to home for Sara. It brought up memories from her time in London, after the break up, that she would have rather left buried.

"It must be Lenny's turn to sing!" Lisa said in a sing-song voice.

"You haven't even got up on stage yet, Leis."

"I have a sore throat. I can't sing tonight," she said with a shrug, drinking some more of her beer.

Sara had to laugh at the siblings. She refilled Leonard's beer and smiled at him. "Liquid courage."

"Thanks." He took a drink and headed to the stage.

It didn't take him long to pick a song, and as he stepped onto the stage, Caitlin took Sara's hand in her own as if to offer support.

"Hi, Cait," Sara said with a grin at the girl. "You okay there?"

"It's just that country music can be emotional and we have no idea what Len is going to sing and I just want to make sure you are okay," Caitlin rambled.

Sara laughed as the music started, and she leaned her head on her friend's shoulder. She loved her friends, and there was nothing that they wouldn't do for her.

Listening to Leonard sing was never a bad thing. He could have been a singer, if he had wanted that life. Sara wondered a little about his song choice. _Confession_ by Florida Georgia Line was a good song, and he sung it well. It was the look on his face as he sung, _T_ _hat guy in the windshield looking back looks just like me, but there's a crack in the reflection_ , that caused Sara a slight pain in her chest. It was as if she saw into his soul with those lyrics, and she knew it was only she who had picked up on it.

Leonard finished the song to cheers from the crowd, especially their tables. His smile walking back all but melted Sara's heart. She sipped her wine and looked around the bar and smiled to herself. This was how it should always be.

Thea had come up with a crazy idea to pick names and songs out of hats and having to just do the song you got. That was how Mick ended up on stage singing _Shake it Off._ Tommy and Roy had gone up on stage and joined him, and Sara wasn't sure she had laughed so hard in a long time.

Another hour passed, and she had just come off the stage from singing _Somethin' Bad_ with Caitlin when she noticed Oliver and Felicity walk in.

"What the hell are the two of you doing here?" she called out as they made their way over to the group. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed or something? It's your wedding night!"

"Thea texted, and I figured we needed to come and see all our drunk friends," Felicity said.

"Plus, when you think about it, it's not like Felicity is a virgin and this was some _special_ first time thing. We all know that they have been fu—"

"Okay, Thea!" Oliver said, cutting his sister off. "What did we miss?"

"Mick, Tommy, and Roy did _Shake it Off_ ," Laurel said, laughing at the memory.

"What! Why did we miss that?" Felicity complained with a pout.

"It's okay, I filmed it," Lisa said with an evil grin.

Felicity sat down, and Oliver kissed her head before walking off to get them drinks.

"Aww you guys are so cute!" Sara said.

"I'm married!" Felicity said with a grin.

"I know!"

"And you're a little drunk."

"Not as bad as the others," Sara said as Oliver sat down with them and passed Felicity a glass of wine.

Thea pulled out another name from the hat. "Sara!" she announced. "Oh, wait, I have two names. Sara and Leonard!"

Kara started hitting Sara on the leg. Thankfully, it was subtly, not at all like Felicity was with her gasp.

Sara looked across at Leonard and shrugged. She'd had enough wine to make her okay enough to sing with him, but not enough to completely calm her beating heart.

Thea handed the song pick to the guy at the front as Sara made her way to the stage with Leonard. Here goes nothing, she thought. As the music started to play, though, she could have killed Thea with her bare hands. Leonard started singing as if the song choice didn't bother him.

"We didn't care if people stare

We'd make out in a crowd somewhere

Somebody'd tell us to get a room

It's hard to believe that was me and you

Now we keep saying that we're OK

But I don't want to settle for good not great

I miss the way that it felt back then

I wanna feel that way again

Been so long that you'd forget

The way I used to kiss your neck"

Sara swallowed, trying to settle nerves that had nothing to do with being on stage, and joined in.

 _Remind me, remind me_

"So on fire, so in love

Way back when we couldn't get enough"

 _Remind me, remind me_

 _Remember the airport dropping me off_

 _We were kissing goodbye and we couldn't stop_

"I felt bad cause you missed your flight"

(But that meant we had one more night)

 _Do you remember how it used to be_

 _We'd turn out the lights and didn't just sleep_

"Remind me, baby remind me"

 _Oh so on fire so in love_

 _That look in your eyes that I miss so much_

"Remind me, baby remind me

I wanna feel that way"

 _Yeah I wanna hold you close_

(Oh if you still love me

Don't just assume I know)

 _Oh baby remind me, remind me_

 _Do you remember the way it felt?_

You mean back when we couldn't control ourselves"

 _Remind me, "_ yeah remind me"

 _All those things that you used to do_

 _That made me fall in love with you_

 _Remind me, oh baby remind me_

"Yeah you'd wake up in my old t-shirt

All those mornings I was late for work

Remind me", (oh baby remind me yeah)

 _Oh baby remind me baby remind me_

"Yeah you'd wake up in my old t-shirt

Oh, baby remind me"

As the song finished, Sara put the microphone back in its stand, then headed off the stage and out of the bar. She was pacing the length of the building when she heard the door open.

"Felicity, I'm fine," she said, turning to find Leonard standing there.

"Not Felicity," he said, "and you're not fine, Sare"

She closed her eyes and took a breath before opening them again. Leonard calling her Sare, it catapulted her back in time, to before everything had gone to hell.

"How did that song not affect you?" Sara asked annoyed at his calm demeanor.

"How do you know it didn't?" Leonard replied.

"Because you are there all calm and looking like that."

"Looking like what?"

"Looking like you haven't been through the worst year of your life."

Leonard shrugged at her. "So it was a hard year. Everyone has them at some point."

Sara let out a scream. "I know everyone has them! You want what year mine was? The year you broke off our engagement! The year I went back to London and had a meltdown. I couldn't focus, I drank too much, and I slept with a different person every weekend. I didn't talk to anyone from home, only Felicity. I was a mess. I was on a downward spiral that could have cost me everything. It wasn't until the pregnancy scare that I really felt I needed to re-evaluate my life," she confessed.

She didn't know why she felt the need to tell Leonard everything, but here she was talking at him. Telling him all the things no one but Felicity knew.

"Sara..." Leonard moved closer to her, but she stepped away from him.

"You destroyed me, do you get that?" she asked as tears sprung to her eyes.

Leonard took another step toward her, and Sara stepped away again.

"I made a mistake," he said. "Sara, it was the worst mistake of my life and the only regret I'll ever have."

Sara was crying now, but as Leonard took another step toward her, this time she remained where she was.

"You destroyed me." she repeated through her tears. "I tried everything to block you out, to get rid of you from my life, but nothing worked."

Leonard's felt his heart breaking for the woman in front of him, the woman he loved. He moved closed and took her hand in his.

"I know, Sara. I know I hurt you. I'll never forgive myself for that. You were such a huge part of my life, and breaking off our engagement was by far the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life. Our friends remind me of that daily. The stupid thing is, I know that they're right. You were never not in my thoughts, and that should have been my first clue, that should have been enough for me to jump on the first flight to London and beg you to take me back."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I was stupid, and my pride wouldn't let me. I thought if I did that, you would think I was weak."

"I wouldn't have thought that. I loved you. I loved you so much Len, all I wanted was for you to turn up and tell me it had all been a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. That's exactly how it felt. I felt like I was dying."

Sara brushed away tears from her cheeks as she looked up at him.

"You got married, to someone else, and my world fell apart even more. But then I found someone finally, and he made me happy. I thought maybe that was it for me, but he proposed and all I could think about was you, and how I wanted him to be you. I had to say no; how could I marry Dylan when I was still in love with you?"

Leonard listened to her and hated himself so much for what he'd put her through.

"I meant what I said in my message, Sara. I never stopped loving you. I am so in love with you—"

"I love you too, Len, but you knew this before and you still left. What makes you sure that if we started something now, it wouldn't end like last time?"

"Because I've learned my lesson. You don't break up with the only person in the world who completes you."

Sara looked down at her feet for a moment before looking back up at him. Leonard wiped away the tears from her cheeks.

"I need some time," she told him. "I just need to go home and think."

Leonard leaned down and kissed her forehead gently before pulling back.

"I'll wait. I'll wait forever if I have to, Sara."

The door to the bar opened, and Oliver and Felicity walked out.

"You guys okay?" Oliver asked as Felicity gave Sara her purse and jacket.

"Yeah, we're good, Ollie," Sara said, "except I don't want to be a buzzkill or whatever, because I know it's your wedding night, but can you guys give me a lift home?"

"No problem," Oliver said as Felicity wrapped her arm around Sara, giving Leonard a small smile.

"I'm going to head off too," he said. "I'll text Mick and let him know."

She sat in the back of Oliver's car, silently tracing patterns on the skirt of her gold dress as he drove to her apartment. Once inside, she changed quickly and curled up on the couch.

It was early, 4 a.m. she noted, looking at the clock, but Sara couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing. What did she want? And was what she wanted worth it?

Sara needed to get out of her apartment. She was restless and needed somewhere to think, somewhere open where she could see the sunrise. Heading out to her car, she drove around town for a while before ending up at the park. Driving through to the back lot, she parked and got out of the car, making her way down the path to the lake. She hadn't been there since the break-up, but right now it seemed like the perfect place to be.

Reaching the clearing, she took a breath and moved to sit on the grass, pulling her hoodie tighter around her. It was quiet, peaceful, although being 4:30 in the morning, she wouldn't have expected anything different. This place had been such a big part of her and Leonard's relationship, but after everything that they had been through, could they really make it work? She really wanted to believe that they could, more than anything did she want that.

Sara sighed and looked up at the sky. Wishing on a star wasn't really something she did, and it wasn't like the stars were still visible, but as she sat there, she silently asked for a sign. If she and Leonard were to start over she wanted it to last, she couldn't deal with losing him again. She knew it was stupid, but she wanted a sign that they were meant to be. The crunching of leaves behind her caused her to turn around suddenly, and there, in early morning light, stood Leonard.


	10. Looking Back to Look Forward

**Well, we have come to the final chapter. A big thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this fic. I really appreciate it. This fic is very cloe to my heart because it renewed my love of writing and allowed me to get over my writers block. This is another long one but I really hope that you all enjoy it...I'd love to hear your thoughts. ~ Thanks Chelle**

August 2017

Sara and Felicity had shut the cafe for the weekend. They deserved a week off, that was for sure. Felicity let herself into Sara's apartment early Saturday morning and shook her head. The apartment was still pretty dark, so she moved around the living room opening curtains, then walked through to the kitchen and turned the coffee machine on.

"Honestly, Sara, I know we decided to take the weekend off, but we have to be at Lisa's new place in two hours to help her move in," Felicity said, pushing open the door to Sara's room.

"How about knocking Liss?" Sara asked, throwing a pillow at her, annoyed.

"Well, you need to…" Felicity trailed off, noticing Sara wasn't alone in bed. "I'm sorry, I just realized that you had company."

"How about getting out so we can get dressed?" Leonard said, rolling over.

Felicity's eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw Leonard.

"How? When? Where? When?" she stuttered, confused.

"Get out!" Sara said, pointing at the door.

"Fine! But you guys have some explaining to do!" Felicity demanded, walking out and closing the door. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Sara laughed covering her mouth. "I guess the cat is out of the bag."

"Probably a good thing. I was starting to wonder how I was going to spend the weekend with you

without being able to kiss you whenever I wanted."

Smiling, Sara leaned up and kissed Leonard, running her hand up his chest. "I do love waking up with you," she mumbled against his lips.

"Me too," he said, pulling her closer to him.

"I wish we could just stay here all day, but we have to help your sister move, and we have a Felicity waiting in my kitchen, with probably enough questions to fill a quiz book."

Leonard kissed her again before throwing back the covers. "I'm going to go and shower. You go talk to your friend," he said.

Sara smiled and nodded at him. She watched him walk through to the en suite, then pulled on some clothes and headed out to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Felicity. How are you?" Sara said, stuffing a pod in the coffee machine and pushing the button.

"Oh no! None of that!" Felicity exclaimed, before quietly adding, "Leonard was in your bed."

"He was. Now he's in my shower," Sara said with a grin before sipping her coffee.

"How?"

"How did he get in the shower?"

"Sara! Be serious, when did this happen?" Felicity all but demanded, getting annoyed.

Sara bit her lip and smiled. "The morning after the wedding," she confessed.

"Wait, so you two have been together for a month now? How did no one know this?"

"We didn't tell anyone; we wanted to make sure that we were sure before telling you all."

"And are you? Sure, I mean?"

"One hundred percent sure," Sara said.

"Tell me everything!" Felicity said, sipping her coffee.

 _She had asked for a sign, a sign to know that they would work, and there he was. If that wasn't a sign, she didn't know what was._

 _Sara stood up as Leonard walked toward her, and she couldn't help but smile. Everything in their lives had somehow led them back to this place. Their spot. They had started their relationship here, and they had also ended it. Tonight was time to do things right, for both of them._

" _I didn't know you'd be here," Leonard said._

" _Neither did I," Sara replied. "I couldn't sleep, so I got in the car, and I just ended up here."_

" _I'm glad you ended up here. I've been thinking a lot about... well, about everything. I meant what I said about waiting for you, Sara. I've never loved anyone like I love you, and my life isn't the same without you in it."_

 _Sara took a step toward Leonard and smiled at him._

" _I don't want you to wait," she told him. "It's sweet that you want to, but—"_

" _You don't get a say in this, Sara. I will wait until the end of time if I have to," he said, cutting her off._

 _She moved to stand in front of him and looked up at him. "I do get a say. This time, I get a say in us and our relationship, and I need to say that you missed my point. I've been thinking about everything, too. I don't want you to wait because_ I don't want _to wait, Len. We have wasted enough time not being together, and I don't want to waste another minute not being with you."_

 _As soon as she finished talking, his lips were on hers, and she was wrapping her arms around his neck. This was what coming home felt like. Sara smiled into the kiss as tears rolled down her cheeks. As they broke apart, Leonard noticed her tears and wiped them away with his thumbs before resting his forehead on hers._

" _I love you, Sara," he said._

" _I know, I love you, too," she told him, "but I am going to say that I don't think we should tell anyone yet. It's been a while since we knew each other. We need to get back to us and make sure that this is going to work before we bring everyone else into it."_

" _Deal," he said, kissing her again._

"It was one of those moments in life where you realize that you don't know what you would do if you ever lost this person again," Leonard said, walking into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around Sara's waist as she finished telling a teary Felicity the story.

Sara turned her head and kissed Leonard quickly before turning back to Felicity.

"So there you have it," she said as Leonard stole a sip of her coffee.

"And what, so you two have been sneaking around for the last month?" Felicity asked.

"Yep. And it's hot," Leonard said.

Sara nudged him with her hip and stole her coffee back, sipping it slowly thinking about the last month. Leonard wasn't wrong; the sneaking around hadn't been easy, but it had been hot. There was something about none of their friends knowing that made it more exciting.

"That's why you had Charlotte cover the cafe last weekend, isn't it?"

"Guilty. I went to Central City for the weekend," Sara admitted. "Len comes here and just hides out while I'm at work, but I wanted to go there and see his new place."

"A whole month," Felicity said in disbelief. "So is this still a secret?"

Sara looked at Leonard and bit her lip, smiling at him, and then turned to look at Felicity. She shook her head, and her smile grew.

"Nope, we will tell everyone today."

"Oh, thank goodness," Felicity said, "I am not good at keeping secrets."

"We know," Leonard said, "so don't stress. I figure we just turn up together today, and I'll just kiss Sara in front of everyone like it's nothing, and we can go from there."

"And then you can tell everyone the story, Liss," Sara added with a laugh.

"I like this plan. I have to go home and get Oliver out of bed, but I'll meet you there," Felicity said, grabbing her purse and heading for the door.

"So we're really doing this?" Sara asked once Felicity was gone.

"It's time. They're our friends, and they deserve to know."

"Well, not everything," Sara said, pulling the necklace chain with his mom's ring on it out from under her tank.

"No, we don't need to share everything just yet," he agreed, thinking back to the night before.

 _He had turned up early to her apartment on Friday. Leonard knew Sara would be at work until at least six, so he had plenty of time to do what he needed. At twenty past six, he heard the front door open, and he all he could do was wait._

 _Sara's day had been long, and the only thing that was keeping her going was knowing that she was going to see her boyfriend after work. They hadn't told anyone about their reunion yet, so she couldn't even tell Felicity what was making her so happy._

 _Finally pushing open her front door, she noticed the lights were dimmed, there were candles scattered in different locations, and there was a red arrow on the ground with writing on it. Sara hung up her keys, threw her bag on the entrance table, and picked up the arrow._

\- Sara Lance, never have I ever loved anyone like I love you -

 _She moved slowly in the direction that the arrow had been pointing and found another._

\- Every single day, I think about just how lucky I am to have you -

 _Sara smiled at the note and kept moving, collecting more and more arrows as she walked._

\- You are my everything -

\- When I'm lost, you are there to help me find my way -

\- When I'm stressed, you are the calming voice in my head -

\- When I'm sad, you are my joy -

\- When I feel stuck in the darkness, you are my light -

 _Sara had tears in her eyes. They had only been back together for a month, but in so many ways it felt like nothing had changed between them, as if their break up hadn't even happened. She arrived at the bedroom door and picked up another arrow that was telling her to open the door. The room was glowing with candles and fairy lights. She stepped through the door, looking around as Leonard walked out of the en suite and handed her an envelope. She opened it up and unfolded the piece of paper._

\- Sara, my gorgeous Sara.

We have been through so much over the years, both together and apart, and it's made me realize that together is the better option.

You're the most amazing woman I know. You would go out of your way for your friends and family, not only because it's the right thing to do, but because you want to help.

You have supported me in every part of my life, even those parts you didn't want to.

You put others before yourself, and you never do anything just to get the glory.

You are the one who loves me through my faults and my flaws. Your forgiveness is unmatched, and by me so undeserved. But I'm glad that you forgave me, because without you, I wouldn't be complete. I'd be half of the person I'm meant to be. You truly are the best part of me, Sara, and I know that we've done this before but…

 _Sara turned the letter over to read the end and found nothing. She was a little confused, until she saw Leonard down on his knee in front of her, holding out her engagement ring._

" _I know we have only been together a month, but in reality, we have been us so much longer than that," he said. "You gave this back to me that night, but it has always been yours, Sare, so I'm here asking you again: Will you marry me and put this ring back where it belongs?"_

 _Never had she loved anyone more than she did in that moment. Leonard's words, both on the page and spoken, melted her heart, and Sara couldn't do anything but nod at him as happy tears rolled down her cheeks. She watched as Leonard slid the ring onto her finger, and then she leaned down and kissed him. They didn't break the kiss as he stood up and she threw her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the ground._

 _Finally pulling back, she smiled at him, and he set her on the ground. Sara looked down at the ring on her finger and then back up at him._

" _This is crazy!" she said. "Our friends don't even know we're back together, and we are engaged."_

" _Yeah, I didn't think that part through. I just knew that I couldn't wait another day to put this ring back on your finger."_

" _I'll just put it on a chain or something tomorrow. Maybe we can tell them tomorrow that we're back together, and maybe put off the engagement announcement?" Sara suggested._

" _That sounds like a good plan," Leonard agreed._

Turning up at Lisa's new apartment hand in hand had his sister screaming with joy as she wrapped them into a hug. Laurel shook her head and grinned at the scene and then hugged her sister, too.

"So this is why you told me to get here early!" Laurel said.

"Well, Felicity found us in bed this morning, so we figured it was time," Sara said with a laugh as Leonard pulled her to him and kissed her temple.

The door opened, and Oliver and Felicity walked in, the latter grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"So it's true. My wife hasn't lost her mind; you two are back together," Oliver said.

"We are back together. Can't say that your wife hasn't lost her mind, though," Leonard replied.

Felicity walked over and hit Leonard on the arm before pulling Sara into a hug and letting out an excited squeal.

Sara shook her head and pulled out of the hug. "You need to pull yourself together," she said to her friend.

"I'm just so happy!" she exclaimed.

"Who's happy?" Mick asked as he and Caitlin walked through the door with Tommy, Cisco, Barry, Kara, Thea and Roy.

"ME!" Felicity yelled. "Because Len and Sara got back together!"

The room erupted with noise as questions came left and right. Sara couldn't help but smile as Felicity answered what she could. The girls all pulled Sara into hugs, and the guys were slapping Leonard on the back. It was then that she realized just how connected they all were. Their group consisted of couples, and that had just happened naturally; it wasn't something that anyone could have predicted. Bringing new people into the group wasn't unheard of—after all Cisco was pretty new—but somehow he fit, and that was what made it okay. Sara thought about Dylan briefly, and Melissa. Those two would have changed the group dramatically, in more ways than one. As she looked across at Leonard talking to Barry, though, she was glad that things were back to the way they should have always been.

After a hard day of moving Lisa into her new place, the group was spread out on the couches, eating pizza and talking.

"So, Len, what's going to happen with your living situation?" Tommy asked.

"I'll be moving to Star City, too," he said with a shrug.

"Wait, you are?" Sara asked.

"Of course! You have the cafe here, and I can work anywhere. It makes the most sense for me to move here."

Sara leaned over and kissed him. "You've thought of everything," she said.

Getting off the couch, Sara collected the plates, took them through to the kitchen, and started washing them. Caitlin joined her, pulling a dish towel out of the drawer she had stacked them in earlier.

"So with you and Len back together, does this mean you want Mick and I to find a hotel room tonight?" Caitlin asked, drying a plate.

"No, not at all. You're both more than welcome to stay tonight. I pretty much knew we were going to tell everyone today, so I had always planned on you staying," Sara said.

"Okay good," Caitlin replied. "It will be nice to hang out the four of us, like college."

"You mean when we were all young and crazy?"

"I was never crazy!"

"Oh come on, Cait, I remember at least two keg stands; that was very crazy for you."

"Maybe so, but I was always more sensible than the rest of you."

"You might be right, there," Sara said, stacking the last plate on the side. "Maybe the four of us could do breakfast tomorrow morning, just us?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Not that I don't love everyone else, but I have something I'd like to tell you without everyone else."

"Oh, I'm intrigued," Sara said with a grin, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

The two girls walked back into the lounge to find Mick sitting where Sara had been. Sara instead sat on Leonard's lap, kissing his cheek and wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Are you ready to get going?" he asked.

"Whenever you are. Mick and Cait are staying over tonight; I forgot to tell you."

"No problem. We should get out of here now, then. That way we can catch up with just them for a while."

Sara loved how Leonard knew exactly what she was thinking without her having to say it.

Standing up, Sara smiled and waved at the room. "We're going to get going," she said, moving over to hug Lisa. "I'm so glad you are living here now."

"Me too," Lisa replied. "Now we just need the others to move out here, too."

"I'm sure in time that will happen," Sara said as Leonard came over and hugged his sister.

"I'll drop in before I head to the airport tomorrow night," he told her, and she nodded at him.

"Thanks so much for all your help today, guys."

"You're welcome, Leis. Anytime, you know that," Leonard said.

Opening the door to her apartment, Sara dumped her bag on the table and yawned.

"Long day," she said to the others as she walked into the kitchen. "Hey, babe, can you and Mick take the bags to the guest room?"

"Sure," he said as he took Caitlin's bag and headed down the hall.

"Want some wine, Cait?" Sara asked.

"So much!" her friend said with a sigh as she followed Sara into the kitchen.

Sara opened a bottle of white and poured them both a glass, handing one to Caitlin before grabbing a couple of beers out of the fridge and tossing them to the guys as they walked into the room. She jumped up and sat on the counter, and Leonard laughed at her.

"You know we could go sit in the lounge right?"

Sara shrugged at him as if to say she didn't care.

"Let's go, Lazy," he said as he, Mick, and Caitlin headed for the sofas.

Sara pouted as she got off the counter, but she moved slowly to the couch and collapsed next to Leonard.

"I'm glad that you guys are here," she said draping her legs across Leonard's.

"Aww, thanks for having us, Blondie."

"You're welcome, whenever you want."

"About that. We have news, a lot of it," Caitlin said before looking at Mick and then back at Sara and Leonard.

"I made Lieutenant at the station, and then got a transfer within the Department, to Star City," Mick said.

"Mick, that's amazing!" Sara exclaimed.

"Congrats. Sara's right, it's incredible timing, too," Leonard said.

"What are you doing to do, Cait?" Sara asked.

"Well, the store that's for sale next to your cafe, I put a deposit down on it this morning. I'm moving my florist shop here."

Sara let out a squeal of delight, and Caitlin laughed.

"There's more," she said, looking at Mick for a moment and letting out another laugh.

"We're engaged," Caitlin said, pulling a ring out of her pocket and sliding it on.

Sara's eyes went wide, and she put her glass on the table and moved to look at the ring. Leonard got up and shook his friend's hand, saying something about it taking him long enough.

"Mick, you did good!" she said, turning to Leonard. "This is gorgeous!"

Sara pulled Caitlin into a hug and then leaned across to hug Mick too.

"There is something else," Mick said.

"Caitlin's pregnant," Leonard said.

"What? How did you know?" Caitlin exclaimed as Sara looked between the two.

"You accepted the wine when Sara offered, but you haven't touched it," he said, pointing at the glass on the table. "You haven't been around friends too much since you found out. I'd guess that Oliver and Felicity's wedding was your first event since you found out, and if I remember correctly, you were the only one who wasn't drinking that night."

"No, she was drinking. I got her wine," Sara said, looking over at Leonard.

"Did you ever see her actually drink it?" Leonard asked.

Sara thought about it and shook her head. "No, I didn't," she said, looking back at Caitlin, who shrugged at her.

"Surprise," she said with a grin.

"I can't believe you are getting married, and having a baby, _and_ moving here!" Sara cried, hugging her friend again. "And you're gonna be a dad!" she added, looking at Mick, slightly worried.

Caitlin laughed. "Yeah, the first couple of days he was both excited and terrified at the same time."

"The first couple of days? Babe, I'm still excited and terrified," Mick said.

"I'm sure you'll be a great dad, Mick," Leonard said.

"Thanks, Man," Mick replied, finishing his beer.

"We wanted to ask if you two would be godparents." Caitlin said.

Leonard had to agree for them both. Sara was too busy wiping away tears of joy and nodding at her friend. She hugged them both again, still wiping at her tears. It had been an emotional day, that was for sure.

Trying to give herself time to regain composure, Sara cleared the bottles and glasses while Leonard chatted with their friends. She cleaned up the kitchen, filling the dishwasher and taking out the trash before moving back into the lounge.

Caitlin smiled as Sara walked back into the room, then let out a squeal, pointing at Sara.

"What?" Sara asked, looking confused.

Leonard looked over and worked out what Caitlin was so excited about. "Sare, it seems your chain has come out from where you had it hidden."

"You two are engaged, too!" Caitlin said. "Since when?"

"Last night, actually. We weren't going to tell anyone yet," Leonard said as Sara sat down beside him again. "Everything is just new. I mean, old but new, so we thought we'd keep it to ourselves."

"We can totally plan our weddings together!" Caitlin said, grinning. "But since we all know, how about you put the ring back on your finger?"

Sara smiled and took off the chain, put the ring back where it belonged, and let out a happy sigh as she leaned against Leonard on the sofa. This, right here, this was perfect, she thought as she felt Leonard kiss the top of her head.

August 2021 - Four Years Later.

"Len, hurry the hell up, we are going to be later!" Sara yelled upstairs to her husband.

"This is the last one of our friends that we are helping move, I swear!" he told her as her ran down the stairs and met her at the front door.

"Oh, come on, everyone helped us when we moved, plus with Felicity and Caitlin pregnant again, we are down two movers."

"I wish I was pregnant." Leonard sulked as Sara laughed and locked the door behind them.

"You're lazy, that's your problem," she told him.

"No, I just wanted to spend more than ten minutes laying in bed with my wife this morning," he said, pulling her to him and kissing her.

Sara broke the kiss and smirked at him. "I'll make it up to you tonight, but only if you're good."

Leonard watched her walk to the car and shook his head. Sara turned and looked over her shoulder at him and grinned, and he couldn't help but think how lucky he was.

They pulled up outside a big white house two blocks over and got out of the car, noticing moving trucks already there, along with a few of their friend's cars.

"Aunt Sara!" a little voice yelled, and she couldn't help but smile as a little boy dressed in a firefighter costume ran toward her.

"Cooper!" she exclaimed, picking up the boy and swinging him around before hugging him.

"Is Uncle Len here, too?" the little boy asked.

"Yep, right here, buddy," Leonard said, and Cooper held his arms out to him.

Sara passed the boy to her husband and smiled.

"This is our new house," Cooper said.

"I know! Kind of cool, right?" Sara said. "Hey, is your mom inside?"

"Yeah, Daddy says her and Aunt Liss are just getting in the way with their tummies."

Sara laughed as they walked up the stairs and inside.

"Marco?" Sara called out.

"Polo!" she heard Caitlin's voice call out.

They made their way through the house and found the kitchen where Caitlin and Felicity were putting away dishes into cabinets.

"Hey mamas," Sara said with a grin, hugging them both. "What can we do to help?"

"Go supervise the guys upstairs putting together Cooper's room and the nursery," Caitlin said in desperation.

Sara turned and smiled at Len. "I think we can manage that," she said with a laugh before heading up the stairs.

Upstairs, they found Mick and Oliver trying to put together a crib, and Leonard laughed at them.

"Need some help?"

"Yes!" Oliver said, "Why didn't you get here earlier? Putting together the furniture in when we move is your job, man."

Leonard handed Cooper to Sara and shrugged. "I wanted to spend time in bed with my wife."

"But being in bed is boring," Cooper piped up. "Unless you have toys. Do you have toys?"

Sara's eyes went wide, and she had to hold in a laugh at the faces of the three men in the room.

"How about you show me your new room?" she suggested, walking out into the hall with Cooper on her hip.

After they had seen Cooper's room, Sara took the boy back downstairs and placed him in the lounge where Lilly, Oliver and Felicity's daughter, was watching TV.

"So I notice Mick already set up the TV," Sara said, walking back into the kitchen.

"Typical male," Felicity said. "Oliver did the same thing when we moved."

Sara smiled, thinking back to when she and Leonard moved. Leonard hadn't done that. In fact, it wasn't until Mick had come over that the TV got set up. Leonard's first priority was the bed and then making sure Sara had the kitchen set up for work. It didn't seem to matter what they did in life; Leonard always put Sara first. They had spoken about it once. He was supposed to go out with the guys, but Sara's plans fell through, so he had stayed home. She asked why he didn't just go out, and he told her that she put everyone else first all the time, and it was his job to make sure she was put first.

The memory of that moment stuck with her for the rest of the day. As they unpacked boxes and helped Mick and Caitlin unload furniture, Sara was stuck with just how lucky she was. She and Leonard had been through so much, but in the long run, everything had worked out as it should have all along.

"What are you thinking about?" Leonard asked as they lay in bed later that night.

"How do you know I'm thinking about anything?" she replied, tracing patterns on his chest with her fingers.

"You have the loudest thoughts of anyone I know, Mrs. Snart."

Sara laughed. "Well, now I'm thinking about how I should have kept my maiden name. 'Sara Snart' still sounds a little silly."

"Lies! You love being Sara Snart," he said, poking her in the side.

"Maybe," she said. Turning onto her side she stared up at Leonard, "I was just thinking about Caitlin and Felicity being pregnant, and our friends all having families. I know we can't have that…"

"Just because we can't have kids doesn't mean we aren't a family." Leonard leaned down and kissed his wife softly before pulling back. "Plus, we have kids. Bailey, Brandy!" he called, patting the bed for their to golden retrievers to join them.

Smiling at him, Sara placed a hand on his cheek kissing him again. "I love you so much, but I still can't believe you named our dogs after alcohol."

He pulled her to him, and she laughed as he kissed her, before resting her head on his shoulder.

"I hated that we didn't get our usual Sunday morning in bed today," he pouted.

"I know, that's why I told Felicity that I'm not coming into the cafe tomorrow," Sara said with a wicked grin.

"Best wife ever," Leonard said before freezing.

"Good to know, since you've had two," Sara replied before bursting into laughter, causing the dogs to jump off the bed and run out of the room barking. "And now you made me wake up the kids."

Leonard laughed. "I love you, Sara Snart."

"I love you, too, Leonard Lance," Sara said, pressing her lips to his. "And don't you ever forget it."


End file.
